Interviewer OK. Can you tell me a little bit about the company?

Iñaki Yes, well, our consultancy, BICG, was set up in 1999. Principally, we do research in the field of new ways of working, which is a fusion of several different disciplines related to the organizational aspects of a company. So we focus on the infrastructure – the information and communication technologies applied to the workplace. We look at the physical environment, architecture and the use of space, the way an office should be built and laid out. And more generally, we deal with the cultural aspects of a company, like working practices.

Interviewer Why does the professional world need new office and workplace concepts?

Iñaki Well, I think it’s more like the end of a process, you know. Basically, we help companies to move with the times. I mean, the business world has been evolving rapidly over the last few decades, due to new technologies. Things have changed and it’s time for physical spaces to accommodate the new needs and requirements of the world of work.

Interviewer OK. What kind of advantages are there from a management point of view? Is this purely a money-saving exercise?

Iñaki No, not exclusively. I mean, costsaving is certainly one of the results you can achieve, but it’s not the most important. What is essential is being more productive and having more efficient and effective processes, and teams and working practices. Then, also, having more motivated people.

Interviewer Mm. So, I imagine you make quite a few changes to the working environment. How do the people who are actually working there react to that? What problems do you have to anticipate?

Iñaki Well, actually one of the core focuses of our work is to facilitate cultural change within companies. People react differently. Normally the people at the bottom are quite happy to get something new; a more open and creative environment. Those at the top of companies, senior management, they are the champions or sponsors of these new concepts. But middle management tends to be very resistant to this kind of change, so we have to explain the benefits for them as well – it’s important to generate enthusiasm for these changes.

Interviewer Yeah. How do you see this situation developing in the future? Are there going to be any more major changes? Or is it more of an ongoing process?

Iñaki I think it’s been more or less an ongoing process for a couple of decades. We’re getting more mobile and technology is getting smaller and smarter, and this is a trend that is making us more flexible, more and more independent of space. So the office won’t be the place where you have to go every day and work eight hours. Work will be something that you can do wherever you are and, really, you’ll come to the office to meet people and exchange information and knowledge. So that will probably be the trend in the near future.

Interviewer But if people aren’t coming into the office, won’t there be a problem with communication? Iñaki Mm! Definitely, definitely! I mean, this is something you have to take account of, to ensure that people will communicate in the right way and will still have this ‘we’ feeling – being part of a team. You have to distinguish between the work you can do individually wherever you are, and the kind of work where you need to exchange information, ideas with your colleagues, and therefore you go to the office.

Interviewer Mm. And how do you assess your progress? How do you know whether or not the work you’ve done has been successful?

Iñaki Since we deal very often with so-called ‘soft’ factors, it’s not that easy to measure the success of these kinds of projects. Nevertheless, there are other ways to measure success. Obviously, you can check the motivation of the people in a company. You can also check measurable aspects, like, for example, the time needed to solve a problem. If you reduce the normal time needed for solving a problem, then you are more productive.