The Future of Office is Phygital

Physical + Digital (Phygital) — a term that describes the blending of digital experiences with physical assets

We are in a magical moment, a moment to completely rethink work — how, where, and why we do it. For so many of us, work is our identity and provides a sense of self. This pandemic and its forced pause has schooled us on surrendering. We ceased control of how and where we did work, and we were forced to experience an entirely different flow to our day with work bleeding into all aspects of our life. For some, this experience has increased frictions at home, and for others it has removed them — like a commute.

First, it is important to note that distributed work is nothing new. The trend was already growing prior to 2020 and the pandemic has accelerated our understanding and acceptance that “work” happens anywhere and is more widely dispersed; a pattern not likely to reverse in 2021. The pandemic has driven us to apply nearly costless tools to visibly communicate across town and time zones using digital infrastructure — as distance is no longer a friction.

The real question facing every industry on the planet is when things “normalize,” what customer behaviors (i.e. new or old formed habits) will endure in our post-pandemic world. Human habits are like water, flowing toward paths of least resistance. And in our newfound freedom from the office, there is gravity working against the office. I do believe the office will have to perform a different job and will need to pull against gravity. People will need to be “intrinsically motivated” as Daniel Pink describes in his book Drive. The best talent will be driven by opportunities for autonomy (flexibility), mastery (learning) and purpose. Therefore the office as we know it, will likely perform the job that cannot be done at home; setting direction, driving culture, fostering community and learning — essentially achieving business nirvana for the individual and organization.

When things “normalize,” what customer behaviors will endure in our post-pandemic world?

I suspect in the normalization of the post-pandemic world, we are likely to see many organizations return to their offices as…