“Survival of the fittest”

For years, we’ve lived by Charles Darwin’s words – those who adapt with the opportunities and risks presented by nature will have better chances of surviving – and we’ve applied this in various aspects in our lives.

This, of course, resulted to a culture bred by constant competition. In school, we competed against our classmates for awards. In the University, we competed with friends and in certain circumstances, we compete with a few family members. That’s why it doesn’t come as much of a surprise when we compete with our colleagues in the office.

For decades, numerous companies have created an environment wherein employees compete against one another for bonuses, promotions and even recognition. This Darwinian approach to corporate culture have always received a mixed amount of commendation and criticism.

Studies have suggested that competition can motivate a person to improve the quality of their work and help boost their creativity. In addition to that, skills like willingness to push past boundaries, trusting one’s instinct and problem solving are being developed. These are the same skills needed for innovation.

It increases productivity – igniting a fire in a workforce and motivates employees to work harder in order to keep their position – and at the same time, it helps increase overall efficiency of the firm.

Competition also helps employees identify their strengths and weaknesses. It allows them to narrow their focus on what they’re good at and concentrate on improving the areas that they are lacking. In addition to this, it pushes individuals out of their comfort zones, makes them strive harder in order to become better and allows them to break boundaries.

Despite of the numerous statistics and studies showcasing the positive effects of competition, it is also important to note that every individual’s motivation and creativity can be accessed in various ways.

Authors of the book “Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing” quoted a research that says 25% of people have a hard time under too much competition and become disengaged but 50% of employees benefit from it. All the while the remaining 25 percent are not affected by it. They also mentioned that there’s even a gender gap as well.

When the environment gets too competitive, it kills morale, causes stress and fosters petty politics and backstabbing. It narrows an individual’s cooperation among his or her coworkers. The fear and anxiety too much competition elicits can affect how a person behaves – how the competition makes a person feel dictates how they would try to win.

Though it seems like finding out a way to get the right amount of competition that could be beneficial to everyone in the enterprise is hard, it’s best to strive for the middle ground.

University of Toronto psychologist Jordan B. Peterson said that competitive games are also cooperative games. Take for example basketball; each team are competing against one another and every member of the respective teams are cooperating to win the game. At the same time, each player from both teams are competing against one another to become the best player by the end of the game.

“Cooperative Competition” suggests that by working together, each member pushes the other to be more productive and produce better output. According to the author of the book The Leadership Brain for Dummies, cooperation among one another releases brain chemicals that enhance bonding, motivation and pleasure.

And as more and more members of the workforce demand for a little less competition and a little more cooperation, a new kind of workspace have been discovered.

Made to foster a community that values collaboration and lessens internal competition, “Coworking Spaces” is a new kind of flexible workspace made to house freelancers and young professionals from all kinds of industry. With an office space setup, it opens an individual up to the chance of meeting talented people from different places without the need to compete with them.

At the end of his discussion, Dr. Peter says “And the victory that you attain across the set of all games isn’t winning all the games: it’s being invited to play.” Winning confuses us and blinds us from the truth that playing among talented members makes the game more meaningful.

Are you ready to play along and win – or lose – with everyone? Join us then!

Large-scale corporate offices have been the marker of success for decades, but traditions are changing. Social and economic trends are revamping this generation’s ideas on modern offices – representing a challenge that cannot be overlooked.

As more and more of us turn our backs to traditional offices, this evident change created a huge impact on each and every one in the industry.

Brokers face a new challenge; adjusting to the new realities of the industry.

Experts believe that traditional spaces have passed the peak of its fame. Studies have backed this up with figures highlighting its deterioration over the years, suggesting that the pressure of rent escalations drove companies to look for smaller and cheaper offices.

Corporates also deal with the demand of giving its workforce a chance to a better work-life balance. According to a survey conducted among more than 2,000 adults in the year 2015, 38% of employees missed live events because of bad work-life balance. Another 60% blame overbearing leaders for the negative impact their work brings to their personal lives.

The happiness and health of an individual is negatively affected by long commutes. Hence, the demand of working near homes does not come as a surprise.

Moreover, workers are expressing distinct demands for flexible working. More and more employees are asking for the opportunity work from home. Though companies would be more than willing to hand them enough freedom to do so in hopes of increasing a positive impact, they still want them to have the ability to collaborate among one another.

Employers and workers are looking for a new model of workplace that can serve both of their best interest.

With the threat of a new challenge to real estate marketing and emerging demands from both employers and employees, a new breed of workplace was given the opportunity to be discovered.

Office space providers started to revolutionize its methods by pairing the traditional office solutions with offers of flexible workspaces – allowing companies to acquire the amount of space they need, when they need it.

This, then resulted to the emergence of a new kind of office space; Seat Leasing and Coworking Spaces

A mix of the traditional office solution and flexible workspace, Seat Leasing gives access to the necessities a company needs, the moment they need it. With the prices inclusive of equipment, facilities and even maintenance, seat leasing saves them from legal papers and excessive costing. In addition to this, it gives them a major advantage over long-term contracts.

Startups who are planning on meeting a strict financial goal and is in need of bootstrapping its office can try this type of flexible workspace.

The newest breed called Coworking Spaces, offer a much more complex and unique office setup. Made to cater all types of professional from different industries. It comes with an open space set up that gives its members the freedom to choose the perfect office environment they need – they can choose from working alone in a sole area or collaborating with the rest of the room. It also fosters a great community among its members

“Coworking Spaces” are the perfect solution for companies that want to give its employees the liberty of having a great work-life balance and the chance to collaborate with talented individuals.

Though not all organizations are scurrying to cut down the size of their offices, statistics and trends says it all: traditional offices are slowly fading, making room for a new kind of workplace that understands the needs of both companies and employees.

With our customs slowly fading, it’s about time that we discuss how to transition from traditional offices to flexible workspaces.