A few years ago, a merger of two major aerospace and defence (A&D) companies birthed a formidable force forever revolutionizing the A&D industry. That force is now the world’s largest A&D organization and is increasingly being renowned for its cutting-edge aerospace systems and solutions. This strategic consolidation combined a wealth of expertise and resources strengthening its dedication to keep pushing the boundaries of aerospace technology.
Driven by a commitment to elevate its impact, the organization embarked on a journey, aligning with a global growth strategy to transform its businesses and offices throughout the world. Headed by this purpose and investing substantially in engineering, digital technology, and manufacturing operations in India, the organization unveiled its new plans for a brand-new one-stop Global Engineering and Technology Centre and India Operations Centre in Bengaluru. Zyeta was awarded the honour to design and build a transformative workplace driven by passion, innovation, and flexibility.
The organization came to us with an initial mission to geographically bring together its smaller offices in Bangalore into a single building spread across levels. This initiative was set to redefine the very essence of work environments, translating a mere integration into a strategic manoeuvre to bring teams closer, amplify communication, and incubate a culture of innovation.
However, this transition wasn’t without its challenges. The backdrop of the pandemic’s second wave in India at that time brought forth an additional challenge – the uncertainty of safely reintegrating employees into a shared workspace. The looming question of when and how to transition from remote work to in-person collaboration became an uncertainty.
This required addressing the evolving work dynamics, encompassing remote work, cultural shifts, and intensifying the focus on employee well-being in addition to addressing the issues that arise with bringing multiple independent departments under one umbrella. The outcome realized through Zyeta’s design not only breaks boundaries but skyrockets through them, surpassing the simple attainment of these set goals. A true representation of transformation, it embraces adaptability, creativity, and inclusivity, all of which are vital for effectively addressing the evolving demands of the shifting landscape.
Research, data analysis and several sessions of brainstorming done over a period of four months brought to light several challenges that arose due to, firstly the merger and the geographical re-location of the various business units and secondly and quite unpredictably, the pandemic. Identifying the crucial concerns, we were able to broadly classify the challenges as below:
How can we harmonize and unite different cultural perspectives?
How will we effectively convey changes and align the goals of the company and the employees?
What would be the best way to manage the relocation of teams and individuals across regions and departments?
How can we ensure the sustained engagement and motivation of our employees?
The further we explored, the more we were able to foresee these challenges as not roadblocks but as an opportunity for the company to uphold a unified stance on how they work and for us on how we could design a workplace that brought everyone together. After further deliberation, we developed a thoughtfully designed solution as the foundation for our strategy for addressing these challenges. We applied the melting pot philosophy – a metaphor for a society where many different types of people blend as one – into our workplace design embodying the harmonious convergence of diverse people and work cultures, strategically unifying individual departments, each with its own distinct identity, into a cohesive whole.
The journey takes off from the communal core, the hub where the users, the employees unite. This transitions to spaces allocated for team-based collaboration to dedicated areas for focused work dotted with tranquil zones of respite. By optimizing the utilization of space and encouraging vertical movement between floors, our approach ensures an engaging and progressive user experience that fosters both collaboration and spontaneous interactions.
Notably, the design takes careful consideration to seamlessly integrate aerospace-themed and culturally relevant Environmental Graphic Design (EGD) and wayfinding cues, thus engendering an immersive environment inspired by the world of aviation aesthetics. The primary objective remains rooted in forging a profound and lasting connection between users and the brand’s core identity through the workspace environment.
Image: Elevating brand recall at the Experience Centre through the presence of a captivating Fighter Jet display. A dedicated floor with an experience center has been strategically designed to showcase the story of the company integrated with client-facing facilities for an enhanced user and customer experience.
With a keen focus on accommodating diverse work styles, the design of this workplace departed from the traditional cubicle office setup and instead underwent a remarkable transition towards a more agile work environment. The carefully curated layout stands as a testament to adaptability, offering a harmonious blend of collaborative hubs, serene nooks, and individual workstations. This strategic arrangement ensures that employees can effortlessly pivot between brainstorming sessions, focused tasks, and moments of solitude as per their requirements.
Moreover, the integration of advanced technology further enhances the workplace’s capacity for collaboration, a crucial facet in the modern professional landscape. With a myriad of virtual tools at their disposal, employees can seamlessly collaborate irrespective of their work styles and geographical locations. This seamless tech-enabled collaboration not only bridges physical gaps but also encourages the cross-pollination of ideas from various corners of the organization.
This transformative evolution shows the organization’s dedication to embracing the demands of a probable hybrid work model. By prioritizing adaptability, personalization, and technological sophistication, the workplace becomes a true hub of innovation, interaction, and productivity, catering effectively to the nuanced requirements of today’s diverse workforce.
Complementing this, the integration of dedicated wellness and recreational areas within the workplace design has emerged as a beacon of holistic employee care. From the inviting Chill Out Zone and the inviting Mars Café to the serene Zen Space, these well-conceived zones offer employees a respite from the demands of the day. These sanctuaries are designed to facilitate relaxation, rejuvenation, and the pursuit of personal interests, effectively equipping employees with tools to manage stress and enhance their overall well-being. By recognizing the importance of work-life balance and providing spaces that nurture it, the organization sends a powerful message about its genuine concern for the health and happiness of its employees.
Furthermore, the commitment to inclusivity and support for new parents is reflected in the provision of well-appointed nursing rooms. These thoughtfully designed spaces offer privacy and comfort for new parents, recognizing the diverse needs of the workforce and ensuring that the transition to parenthood is as smooth and supported as possible. This initiative not only demonstrates the organization’s empathy towards its employees’ life-changing milestones but also underscores its dedication to fostering an environment where every individual feels valued and cared for.
Symbolic of resilience, innovation, and adaptability, the new office is a testament to its origins in the merger of industry titans and its contemporary commitment to shaping the future. Reflecting the company’s core values encompassing trust, respect, accountability, collaboration, and innovation, this office embodies the ethos that fuels its corporate identity
Join the inner circle. Get Game-changing news in your inbox.
