A Cognitive Approach to Workplace Design Issues
Cognitive design is about understanding the psychological (intellectual, affective, volitional and motivational) needs of individuals and groups and optimizing the artifacts we create to meet those needs. Cognitive designers are by profession catalogers of psychological needs. The results are often cast in psychographic profiles that show how clusters of needs work together to create a “cognitive type” that we can design for.
So I am always on the look out for new scientific studies that shed light on the psychological needs of specific groups. The blog, Speak the Culture has a recent post that does an excellent job summarizing five major studies that shed light on the cognitive needs of employees. I won’t repeat the great reporting in the post but will quote the conclusion:
“All this research seems to reiterate the same thing! Inspiring employees to be engaged and productive is not just about the money — it’s about winning their heads and hearts by offering an optimal amount of challenge, ensuring they feel valued and exhibiting sincere concern for their well-being. Confirmation bias at its best? Perhaps it’s simply the truth.”
The post and referenced reports are definitely worth a read for anyone looking to take a cognitive approach to workplace design issues.
