The 2016 Agile Workplace Conference set out to help organizations in both the public and private sectors learn about innovative workplace strategies and best practices from expert researchers and seasoned practitioners.

The event kicked off with a keynote by Jeremy Neuner, Product Area Lead for Real Estate and Workplace Services at Google, titled Exploring a New Definition of Entrepreneurship. Neuner discussed how the workplace has transformed from being one single location to being any location with a steady WiFi signal. We are experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime work revolution, he said, which requires new ways of thinking about how and where we work. Google is rethinking its own workspaces, and striving to make them more collaborative and flexible in an effort to keep employees engaged and facilitate the increasing fluidity of their work.

Throughout the day, we heard new insights into measuring behavior and productivity within agile workspaces, learned about the physical and psychological consequences of this new way of working, and discussed how agile workplace design can facilitate innovation. Among the bevy of breakout sessions, we found the one themed around data-driven workplace design particularly interesting, as it addressed the importance of both quantitative and qualitative data. Naturally, the PLASTARC team supported the argument that a mixed-method approach results in the strongest research program.

The event closed with a reception and raffle, in which our very own Melissa Marsh won the coveted prize of a large stack of reading material!