For this research organization, developing a new headquarters was an opportunity to transform their culture and connect globally dispersed employees to their mission. The strategy process included connecting to all 2,100 employees through surveys, workshops, observation, and division interviews. Unique insights into how they work, how to improve the experience for both their staff and members, and how to recruit the best and brightest, led to the resulting workplace model: a free-address activity-based work model that is tuned to ABC’s specific needs and began a new paradigm in their work, culture, and staff success.

Innovation

A series of destination spaces — for both staff and members — bolstered workplace experiences and adds to the choices people have during their workday, including a café and coffee bar; a traveler’s lounge; a library for quiet focus; an enhanced innovation lab; and member meeting and hospitality spaces.

Impact

The Advisory Board used this move to their new headquarters to embrace their mobile, dispersed teams and develop an activity-based workplace and distributed work model. The change gave teams a chance to work more flexibly and gave the organization the ability to dedicate more space to shared amenities, member services, and a range of individual work options.