Adrian Woolard Work Tech 2011 Final

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Research & Collaboration in a New Century City

Dr Adrian Woolard, Project Director (North Lab), BBC Research & Development Jon Corner, Director – MediaCity:UK, University of Salford

BBC R&D and the University of Salford at MediaCity:UK

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Innovation in a new Century City

•  The Physical environment – BBC R&D •  The Virtual environment - Collaboration •  University of Salford •  Emerging work from BBC R&D

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Space As A Statement

A R&D center laid out in rigid ways… is like a lover whispering “I love you” in a bored voice while doing a crossword puzzle.

-  Workplace By Design, Becker & Steele Becker & Steele explain that workspace is an organisation’s body

language – it must fit what the organisation says.

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The Starting Point

•  In Kingswood Warren, small offices were the norm, with additional laboratories for specialist work

•  Offices house between 1 and 6 people, ensuring team conversations and other background noise can be contained

•  Hot-desking was a non-starter, as individuals require access to specialist equipment on a regular basis, and it would be impractical to make this available at all desking locations

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Challenges - Open Plan

Open plan fits productive but not creative work as the latter requires flow (an uncluttered state of mind) which is easily disrupted.

-  Professor David Roberts, University of Salford

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Challenges - R&D Work Styles

Flow is the mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity. Proposed by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, the positive psychology concept has been widely referenced across a variety of fields. Colloquial terms for this or similar mental states include: to be on the ball, in the zone, or in the groove.

-  Wikipedia definition of Flow

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Challenges - Flexibility

Space is the team and the work. If a member wants to jump aboard another project, he or she needs to be able to quickly take off and land [in the new team’s neighbourhood].

-  Tom Kelley, IDEO

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R&D Lab @ MediaCity:UK – work in progress

•  Video

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Collaboration – knowledge creation & exchange

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Cities & the digital workforce…

The big, open-ended question is, “Why should empowered and self-reliant people, equipped with increasingly powerful information technology, ever come to work at all?”

Key reading: http://speedbird.wordpress.com/2010/04/18/rework-and-the-city/

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Innovation Hubs/ Nodes across the regions

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Neighbourhoods

We believe in the importance of neighbourhoods and community in fostering innovation.

-  Tom Kelley, IDEO

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Communities of Collaboration & innovation

Internally 1.  Projects / teams on site / in lab 2.  Across teams on site 3.  Across teams / projects – distributed across multiple sites

Externally 1.  Across the cluster – site as a platform 2.  Across regions / time-zones – using the Cloud & conferences

Seeking the right mix of productivity, efficiency & creativity

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Distributed / Virtual Working – productivity & efficiency

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Cloud based tools for distributed teams

Basecamp® http://basecamphq.com/ Skype®

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In  any  conference,  the  total  exper1se  distributed  through  the  audience  usually  outweighs  the  exper1se  of  any  single  speaker.  BeeBCamp’s  unconference  format  brings  that  exper1se  out,  with  small  groups  where  everyone  can  take  part.  

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“It’s fast and active - discussions, not presentations. A chance to talk about what really fires you up about your work.”

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Glo Net Front Room 2010

http://www.paulsermon.org/frontroom/

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The Telethrone – University of Salford – PhD + general ‘hackery’

Preserving the art of conversation

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University of Salford

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Virtual Maestro at Manchester International Festival

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BBC, University of Surrey & CBBC/ BBC SPORT

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/researchanddevelopment/2011/03/rd-and-blue-peter--ski-rossend.shtml

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Video Vu – virtual flights around Wimbledon with BBC Sport

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/researchanddevelopment/2011/06/live-virtual-flights-around-wi.shtml

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Exploring immersive media – surround video

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Universal Control – BBC R&D releasing research tools for collaboration

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/researchanddevelopment/2011/02/universal-control.shtml

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Most modern technology is created by bringing together & developing capabilities which already exist… The genius lies in the way they are brought together & improved.

Lord A. Broers Triumph of Technology, 2005 Reith Lectures

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©1979 Usborne Books written by Kenneth Gatland and David Jefferis.

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Thank You!

Dr Adrian Woolard Project Director (North Lab) BBC Research & Development, Future Media R&D North Lab, 5th Floor, Dock House, MediaCityUK, Salford, M50 2LH E: adrian.woolard@bbc.co.uk W: http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd

Jon Corner Director – MediaCityUK University of Salford | Offices of the Vice Chancellor and the Registrar The Old Fire Station | Room 126 | The Crescent | Salford | M5 4WT j.corner@salford.ac.uk