It's all about attention
Designing better workplaces in the age of AI
Whiplash
It’s hard not to get whiplash at the rate of change we’ve seen in the last few years. In 2020, the world hailed the rise of remote work as a generational shift. A few short years later, companies started moving employees back to the office. Now, the rise of generative AI threatens to turn knowledge work on its head.
Regardless of how AI augments or changes the work of humans, organisations will still face the challenge of creating the ideal balance between:
collaboration and focus work, whether that collaboration is with humans or AI;
privacy and public engagement;
shared workspaces vs. individual offices.
In the AI gold rush, money is being thrown at developing machine-oriented solutions. Approaches to work and space may differ across cultures, but it’s hard to see how an AI policy can succeed if it’s focused on surveilling or replacing humans instead of supporting and augmenting them.
Think about the future
To be successful, companies will need to design working practices around the three basic modes of attention:
Controlled attention;
Stimulus-driven attention;
Rejuvenation.
Can the workplace of the future be designed with spaces for controlled attention in mind? Workspaces where people can isolate themselves for periods of time, record their thoughts, and be creative (controlled attention). How about with collaborative hubs where people can complete stimulus-driven tasks? Perhaps even with some retreat-style places for rejuvenation? Whether working from home or in a shared environment, there are opportunities to design solutions that enable all forms of attention while utilising the latest leaps in technology.
Controlled attention
Controlled attention or concentration is required where flow is important, such as writing or thinking deeply.
In this mode, people prefer to work alone in quieter spaces, no mean feat in today’s interruption-filled world. AI solutions that can reduce distractions or help people focus on the task at hand, rather than allowing them to become distracted, can play a role in helping knowledge workers to achieve ‘flow’ state so that they can maximise the impact of their efforts.
Distractions, interruptions and external stimuli are unwelcome. The work environment should be clutter-free, have good natural light and have space available for writing. I love a good whiteboard. Walls you can write on make me insanely happy.
How can AI help?
Focus apps that block interruptions and distractions.
AI assistants that can be used conversationally, enabling ideation without breaking flow.
Software that detects the kind of work being done and reacts appropriately, blocking out time and even cancelling meetings marked as less important by the person.
Voice-to-text applications that can record people as they form their thoughts, reducing friction.
Stimulus-driven attention
In this mode, people welcome the opportunity to context-switch, jumping from task to task. Examples include routine tasks, dealing with Slack messages, emails, etc. These are also the kinds of tasks where AI can be helpful in automating or speeding things up, allowing you to focus on higher-value work.
Distractions are tolerated or even welcomed. These tasks lend themselves to being completed in shared settings where social interaction is readily available. The typical open plan office is designed for this form of attention but is a disaster for the other two.
This is the kind of work people seem to have in mind when they talk about wanting people back in the office to collaborate. But it overlooks the two more important modes of attention, which drive innovation and big ideas. Too often people have been pulled back into spaces with banks of desks, which inhibit collaboration. It would be great to have an environment you can change, with desks that can move around to enable conversation and idea-sharing. Office furniture that can move quickly so groups can come together and disperse at will would be amazing.
How can AI help?
Productivity apps that understand how to put the highest-value short tasks in front of a user.
Automation of typical tasks.
Meeting synthesisers that record meeting notes and actions, automatically following up as required.
Rejuvenation
Rejuvenation is where you take periodic breaks to recharge. This is a disappearing art as people’s calendars fill. Taking time to recharge and to consider knottier issues is vital to good problem-solving. Depending on personal preference, this may involve interaction with a person or AI, taking some quiet time for yourself, or a mix of the two. This is possibly the most important area of work design, and the most often-overlooked. Similar to controlled attention, rejuvenation requires quiet space. Unlike controlled attention, you want comfortable seating and movement-friendly spaces so that people can recover. This is where my great dream of offices with hammocks delivers its payoff.
How can AI help?
AI mindfulness coaches.
Tools that monitor users and suggest breaks based on displayed stress levels.
Reflection assistants, helping users download at the end of their days so they can clear their minds.
There’s a natural rhythm to collaboration. People need to focus alone or in pairs to generate ideas or process information; then they come together as a group to build on those ideas or develop a shared point of view; and then they break apart again to take next steps. - Christine Congdon, Donna Flynn & Melanie Redman, Balancing “We” and “Me”, Harvard Business Review, October 2014
What should companies think about so that they can find their best path and enjoy the benefits of the new world of work?
Pay attention
The future of work is still human. If you’re investing in increasing your people’s productivity, invest in them too. If you’re asking people to return to an office, design it intentionally to benefit the three forms of attention. Design an AI strategy around human autonomy, productivity, flow and recovery. You won’t succeed with AI if you try to leave the humans behind.