The Collaboration Fixation
‘Collaborative’ is now as ubiquitous a word to the furniture industry as ‘Organic’ is to the food industry. Collaborative areas have risen to a must-have item on all commercial interior design concepts and requirements, with most large firms making it a priority. But why are these areas so vital to an organization? Here’s a great analogy from a popular manufacturer on the topic, “What’s so important about collaborative school furniture? Well, if a swim team tried to practice on wrestling mats it wouldn’t get very far because the environment is wrong for the learning process. ” Simple enough, right? Well, more often than not we find ourselves facing a client or designer entering our showroom with the familiar phrase “ I’m looking for collaborative products “, but wouldn’t be able to spot if even if it was right under their nose. And it’s not their fault either - the word ‘collaborative’ is thrown around so often it’s hard to tell whether they really mean it or just s