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<DIV><SPAN class=720262000-28112002><FONT face=Tahoma color=#000080>Dear Justus,
Alan and List Friends,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=720262000-28112002><FONT face=Tahoma
color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=720262000-28112002><FONT face=Tahoma color=#000080>Below is the
note from Paul Everett about the 'pyramid building' which Paul mentioned during
OSonOSinOZ. I looked at the Steelcase web site just for interest too, and
found an interesting congruence between the ideas behind the building and the
ethos of the company as it is on show.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=720262000-28112002><FONT face=Tahoma
color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=720262000-28112002><FONT face=Tahoma color=#000080>Warmly,
Ros.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><!-- Converted from text/rtf format -->
<P align=left><SPAN lang=en-au><FONT face=Tahoma color=#000080>Ros
Crompton</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-au><FONT face=Tahoma
color=#000080>Professional & Personal Coach, Speaker
Trainer<BR></FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-au><FONT face=Tahoma
color=#000080><EM>When you're moving with strength of purpose, nothing can stop
you.</EM></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P align=left><SPAN lang=en-au><FONT face=Tahoma color=#000080>Momentum
Learning, Australia</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-au><FONT face=Tahoma
color=#000080>Tel: +61 3 9808-4202</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-au><FONT
face=Tahoma color=#000080>Cell/Mob: 0417-229-335<BR>Email:
ros@momentum-learning.com</FONT></SPAN> </P><FONT face=Tahoma
color=#000080><FONT face="Arial Narrow">
<P> </P>
<P>Dear Ros,</P>
<P>The speaker was me, Paul Everett, husband of Joelle Everett, who kindly
picked this off the OS listserv and sent it to me because I am not reading the
List right now, life being what it is, busy and filled with various crises. We
returned from OSonOsinOz to Chaos.</P>
<P>The building is Steelcase's Research and Development center in Michigan, I
think it was Grand Rapids (I was in four different Michigan cities on that trip,
so that may be in error). It has been 15 years ago that I was there. The
building is a four-sided pyramid about six or more stories tall. Some of the
designs to improve creativity and communications included the following:</P>
<P>* Very few, very small elevators to move people or materials from floor to
floor. People don't talk on elevators. Instead, access is usually by escalators
going up the inside of the pyramid because people talk on escalators. </P>
<P>* In the center of each wall of the pyramid on most floors' outside edge, if
not every floor, is a spontaneous gathering place complete with coffee, tea,
water, high stools and round tables, white boards, paper, markers, etc., etc.,
for impromptu brainstorming, meetings, problem-solving, etc. That means that
there are four such centers on each floor, maybe. I didn't actually see that on
every floor, so I may be wrong on how many but that they did exist on many
floors is correct. </P>
<P>* There are no offices with walls, even for the director. Everyone is in
cubicles, padded, with hushers, and the walls are just over waist high, so talk
between people is fairly easy. There are glassed-in meeting rooms where people
can meet and talk in a private way, if needed. The entire floor is very visible.
</P>
<P>* There were some training rooms inside the building on the first floor where
seminars are held with both internal and external resource persons. When I was
there, a very prestigious quality expert was holding forth (not Deming, but
someone who was well known in quality). At the time, Steelcase was moving
vigorously to embrace the Lean paradigm of production, customer service,
quality, etc. (See Association for Manufacturing Excellence--www.ame.org; Lean
Enterprise Institute, etc.)</P>
<P>* In the center of the building, suspended from the top, was a huge ball that
oscillated back and forth and changed positions as the earth turned. Not sure of
its purpose other than as an art form. There was also some conversation about
the "energy" of the place because of the pyramidal form, but that was anecdotal,
at best.</P>
<P>That's what I can recall right off the top of my head. I'm sure there is
probably something in architectural archives about the design because it was
sure unusual for the times and the company themselves may have something on it
on their website. Such things as websites were nascent in those days, if at all
present, so I haven't any information about it. I'm amused at myself about
"those days" because, time wise, it wasn't so long ago but technology-wise, it
was just the beginning of the technological renaissance we now almost take for
granted and that enables this message to you. </P>
<P>Hope you find this helpful and if you wish, it's OK to post on the Listserv
so others can have the information.</P>
<P>Yours truly,</P>
<P>Paul Everett, Consultant</P>
<P>Lean Systems Thinking</P></FONT></FONT></BODY></HTML>