The startup community is growing world-wide, with this growth came new leadership styles and company cultures that value their employees more than ever before. Although, initially many startups got critiqued for having "lavish" perks like free snacks, extra vacation time and "Vibe Managers," once these startups became real competitors in their industries, bigger companies began to take notice.
But, it's not just the on-tap kambocha, dog-friendly offices and nap pods, it's the values of most startups that drive them. Although awesome physical office spaces typically encompass company values (gym classes and healthy snacks represent the team's commitment to a healthy lifestyle), other values include transparency, innovation, creativity, and room for failure. Startups allow their employees to fail and try, try again. There's an "anything is possible," mentality that ultimately led to their success.
Big companies are taking notice of these startup success, and adopting parts of the startup culture to their own established offices. Jess Ryan at Built in Colorado recently published a post about how these big companies are doing this, looking at some of the largest, most established companies in Colorado.
CBRE, the world's largest commercial real estate services firm, began implementing Workplace 360. Workplace 360 is a new program that CRBE has recently implemented to create a more innovative space. There is no assigned seating, a kitchen stocked with healthy, local food options, and an overall more collaborative environment. In addition, the new spaces shows off the company's forward thinking, and skill, for office design.
Other companies, like Arrow Electronics, are taking a less encompassing approach. Arrow Electronics has 80 years of experience in helping companies with electronics development and manufacturing, and recently opened up a new digital office space. Although other Arrow Electronics office spaces may be behind on the trend, the digital team office is very startup like. The office has an emphasis on "creativity over conformity" and hover-boards aren't unusual forms of transportation. Overall, the digital team acts somewhat as a bridge, fusing the large established company with a startup-like environment.
Check out the other examples and the full post on Built in Colorado here.