Why is the office sacred?

As the first generation of network collaborators enters the labour market, flexible work styles are becoming the norm.

 
Frederik Wilmslow Taylor, the so-called father of management consulting, may also be worthy of a less illustrious epithet – father of the modern office. In the same way his principles of scientific management came to define how business is conducted, they have also shaped the places where it was conducted. As anyone who’s ever toiled day in, day out in a soulless cube farm will tell you, this is not a good thing. In this article, I would like to question the perceived value of the office and articulate the benefits - and challenges - of alternative ways of working.

Jon Froda

As co-founder and director of brand strategy for freemium cloud-based collaboration service Podio at Citrix, Jon Froda is a leader in driving organisational change through the adoption of cutting edge collaboration tools. A former career musician turned entrepreneur, Jon spent years researching the area of social software, specialising in strategies and products that enhance knowledge-sharing and productivity across teams and professional networks. As cofounder of Podio, a customisable collaborative work platform, Jon joined Citrix when the company acquired Podio in April 2012 and continues to play an active role in spreading Podio to teams all over the world. Jon is a frequent speaker on the future of work and social technologies.