Need professional development? Workplace Resource of Oregon offers the following classes. Contact us for more information.
Alexander Girard
Girard is identified as one of "three Americans who revolutionized our sense of color and cloth" and yet he is the least well known of the great designers at Herman Miller in the 1950's to 1960's. This visually rich program traces Girard's passion for folk art and how it influenced his design, ties to Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson prior to joining Herman Miller, his design leadership at Herman Miller, creating the "end of the plain plane" designs for Braniff, and his legacy that includes over 100,000 objects donated to create the Girard wing of the International Museum of Folk Art in Santa Fe, and textile designs currently available through Maharam.
Context for Creativity and Innovation
This interactive session explores how the physical environment can facilitate or inhibit behaviors that are linked to creative function and innovation. Current brain research relative to creativity is reviewed. The areas explored are:
- What is Creativity?
- Creativity Is Linked to the Brain
- How the Brain Uses the Environment
- How Brains Work Together
- Creative Communication is Designed
Judith Heerwagen, Ph.D., Environmental Psychologist developed the above scholarly information for Herman Miller. There is also a section that reveals workplace examples of interiors supporting creative activities.
Context for Creativity and Innovation continued
The cognitive and social dimensions of creativity will be experienced through a workshop activity using minimal supplies – pipe cleaners and Popsicle sticks. The group is divided into teams and given a short company profile. Each team is required to use their supplies to create a "thing" representing the culture of the company profile they were given.
NOTE: A Workshop can be provided for a 2-hour program. The Workshop must be requested well in advance of the event.
Further information can be provided upon request.
Eames on Film
Between 1950 and 1982 Charles and Ray Eames made over 100 short films. These groundbreaking films explore the use of materials, the beauty of common things, science, invention and creativity.
Typically, the films shown are an interview with Arlene Frances that includes the short film showing assembly of the Eames Lounge Chair, Design Q&A, Powers of Ten, House After Five Years, Goods. Alternative films can be shown upon request.
Generations Changing the Workplace
People are an organizations greatest asset. It is believed that diversity among the workforce renders richer collaboration resulting in increased innovation. Innovation is a major strategic focus in most organizations today.
For the first time in workplace history there are four generations working side-by-side. Each generation has a different set of collective beliefs and values that are expressed by their attitudes and behaviors. This session covers the collective core values, workplace behaviors, and things that motivate each of the generations. There will also be suggestions as to what type of physical workplace supports generational diversity.
History of Herman Miller
This presentation is all about how design built the company of Herman Miller. It begins with the Michigan Star Furniture Company in 1905 when 17th & 18th Century Furniture Reproductions were being manufactured. Dirk Jan Dupree acquires the company and changes the name to Herman Miller but continues to manufacture the same furniture until Gilbert Rhode shows up in the 1930s. The history continues and focuses on the designs and legacies of Rhode, Nelson, Charles & Ray Eames, Girard, Propst, Stump and Chadwick. There is even a little comparison of a future workplace concept of Nelson's from 1978.
Currently the presentation is both PowerPoint and VHS.
Organic 120-Degree Planning
Designed to be done in lieu of Organic Planning; this course provides the designer with an edited version of the Organic Planning along with a broad overview of the fundamentals of 120-degree planning.
A step-by-step approach covers the reasons, opportunities, obstacles and enablers for 120-degree planning. The course will demonstrate planning tools and web-based resources to facilitate the planning process. Application examples provide insight into 120-degree planning techniques and opportunities.
Past + Present = Future Workplace
Sometimes it takes a good look backwards to understand where we might be headed in the future! This topic covers events (relating to our industry) that occurred over the last century that have definitely affected our present and will affect our future. This is an interesting overview session that has often provided clarity to our current path and clues to what's next. Current trends and future speculations are covered briefly.
The story begins: "Not so many years ago work was mostly agricultural in nature. As in all pre-industrial societies, survival was the nexus between our ancestors and their agricultural work. The Agrarians worked together in families and village communities doing jobs that needed to be done. Agrarians were their own bosses. They could control their own means of production. Time did not structure work. There were no written job descriptions dividing tasks. Jobs were performed according to the seasons and the need. The Agrarian workplace was also the Agrarian living place. Work life and home life were a well-balanced blend of activities"....
Phylogenetic Design
This presentation is focused on preferred natural habitat research and theories. Clues to look at designing space differently and perhaps from our own inherent knowledge that has been passed along genetically. Phylogenetic Design explains the attributes of a preferred natural habitat and suggests how to interpret those features and implement them in a built environment. Research in healing environments suggests being surrounded by nature or images replicating nature and fractal geometry reduce recovery during the healing process.
Experiments conducted by Herman Miller showed indicators that creative tasks improved while working in a particular nature surround. This information deals with the designer's quest to provide privacy and openness at the same time.
Organic Planning
Explore the deep and abiding connection between humankind and the natural environment in supporting health and well being in commercial interiors. Research proof statements support the positive effects of incorporating natural attributes into the workplace, such as access to light, places to congregate, and visual richness.
For many forward-thinking organizations, the effort to create stimulating office environments has involved reorienting their thinking from the angular world of 90-degrees to the more circular, human-scaled, free-flowing application of the 120-degree shape that support teams and an anywhere-anytime approach to work. The course explores whether a 90-degree cube environment can be organic and provides a range of examples of 120-degree applications.
Organic 120-Degree Planning
Designed to be done in lieu of Organic Planning; this course provides the designer with an edited version of the Organic Planning along with a broad overview of the fundamentals of 120-degree planning.
A step-by-step approach covers the reasons, opportunities, obstacles and enablers for 120-degree planning. The course will demonstrate planning tools and web-based resources to facilitate the planning process. Insight into 120-degree planning techniques will be provided, by showing application examples.
Space as a Message
The physical workplace of an organization inherently creates experiences; and therefore, is an opportunity to enhance an organization's success. The customer experience supports brand while the employee experience supports culture. Tangible results can be identified that relate to the workplace experience such as positive impact on employee attraction and retention.
Using Herman Miller facilities; workplace choices and experiences are explored as a case study, but are not meant to be a prescriptive model. Herman Miller's learning and thought leadership on "Advancing Culture and Brand" is shared in a dialogue relevant to client and A&D challenges and opportunities in programming and designing corporate facilities. Success factors are identified for leveraging Space as a Message.
