by Brianna Crandall — June 20, 2014—Global furniture and technology provider Steelcase unveiled the results of its collaboration with Susan Cain, author of the international bestseller Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, at last week’s NeoCon contract furnishings show in Chicago. The new Susan Cain Quiet Spaces by Steelcase collection garnered an Editors’ Choice Award in the Best of NeoCon product competition under the Architectural Products category. Steelcase also won a Silver Award in the Office Accessories category for its SOTO II WorkTools, and showcased enhancements to other product lines.
Steelcase joined forces with Susan Cain to introduce a collection of workspaces expressly designed to bring out the best in introverts at work. According to Susan Cain’s research, introverts constitute between one-third and one-half of the workforce and can be some of the most creative and deep thinkers an organization has, yet they often struggle in many workplaces today that were created with a bias toward extroverted behaviors and high degrees of openness. The new Susan Cain Quiet Spaces by Steelcase collection offers five workspaces designed to help introverts focus and rejuvenate while they achieve some much-needed privacy at work.
“Contrary to popular beliefs, introverts are not shy, they simply respond to stimulation differently,” notes Cain. “If introverts go into a space that’s too noisy or cacophonous, it places extra cognitive load on their thought process, which doesn’t need to be there if you want to help them do their best thinking,” explains Cain. “Introverts recharge their batteries by being more on their own or in low-key environments. Privacy, quiet and solitude are essential to creativity and innovation, and to leadership. Quiet Spaces are a way to bring those elements back into the workplace.”
The five types of spaces in the Susan Cain Quiet Spaces by Steelcase collection were created with insights from Steelcase research about the universal human need for privacy, and Cain’s in-depth understanding of the needs of introverts. Named “Be Me,” “Flow,” “Studio,” “Green Room” and “Mindshare,” the spaces evoke a sense of calm and comfort, yet high functionality.
The spaces are designed to show that a workplace respects the needs of introverts to have permission to be alone and focus, have control over the environment, have sensory balance with calming organic materials, and be psychologically safe and not “on stage.”
Constructed with Steelcase Vertical Intelligent Architecture (VIA) walls, the spaces eliminate acoustical disruptions, and can offer various degrees of opacity in the glass to limit visual distractions. Select furnishings from Coalesse in some of the space allow workers to be highly productive yet relaxed. Each of the five private spaces can be incorporated into new or existing workplaces, and feature carefully integrated architecture, furniture, surface materials, lighting and technology designed for the unique needs of introverts.
Asking the question “How might we help introverts do their best thinking?”, Steelcase and Susan Cain recognized the overwhelming need to provide introverts with choice and control over how they work. Quiet Spaces can help solve this by providing introverts control over their environment, and permission to be alone and secluded when they need a respite from an otherwise stimulating workplace.
The Steelcase design team engaged with Cain over a period of months to ensure the furniture, materials, and technology in Quiet Spaces created the right atmosphere for introverts. The spaces are either 8×8 or 9×9 sq. ft. and include the complete architecture, furniture and technology components, enabling organizations to unleash the power of introverts at work.
Visit Steelcases’ Quiet Spaces Web page for a more detailed explanation, pictures and a video explaining the concept.
For over 100 years, Steelcase Inc. has helped to “create great experiences” wherever work happens, for the world’s leading organizations, across industries. The company’s brands—including Steelcase, Coalesse, Designtex, Details, PolyVision and Turnstone—offer a comprehensive portfolio of architecture, furniture and technology products and services designed to unlock human promise and support social, economic and environmental sustainability. The company is globally accessible through a network of channels, including over 800 dealer locations.
