Greetings!
 If you've been in the habit of lurking around security professionals (pun intended) as I have been for more than twenty years, you might be vaguely familiar with CPTED, or "Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design". This is a concept that is self-explanatory - design your neighbourhood, office block, condominium, theme park, etc. in ways that discourage rather than encourage criminal acts. Can you think of examples around your home or workplace where you can see evidence of design either facilitating perpetrators of criminal acts or else actively deterring such acts? I'm sure you can! Are there any secluded corners or cul-de-sacs around the neighbourhood? Is there adequate lighting? Is the lighting such that it deters crime instead of illuminating the victims, as the lighting at some secluded bus stops actually does? Does the environment elicit a warm, friendly feeling, or does it reek with a lingering sense of fear and distrust? Do the plants give the place a freshness and inviting feel? Or do they add a grimness to the whole atmosphere? Plants can add life or seem to be placed such that they hide unknowns in their shadow. Do the plants give shade or cast shadows?  In this issue, I'm taking a bit of licence with the term CPTED, having it to mean "Corporate Profitability Through Environmental Design". Now, designers, inventors and engineers ought to work very closely together, or their efforts should be co-ordinated by someone if the full benefits accruing from their skills are to be obtained. In ABC's "Nightline" show some years ago, they featured a company that specializes in design, called IDEO. One of the opening lines of the show was "The person behind the production of dental floss was an inventor. However, the one who put the dental floss into a container and made it so that we can tear off just the length we need was a designer", or words to that effect. Design is a very important part of life. Brilliant inventions and engineering work can be brought to nought by bad design. Just think about two things in everyday life - siting of urinals in the gents' washrooms and different brands of hand dryers. Many gents' washrooms have urinals sited in such a way that they become "man-traps". In other words, when all urinals are occupied, the gentleman at the urinal situated at the far end of the washroom would be unable to make his way out once he's finished using it! He would have to wait for at least one or two other getlemen before making his way to the wash basins. Then there are hand dryers and there are hand dryers. You know what I mean - some work well, others simply don't.  Is your company designed so that you get happy staff and you deliver excellent value? Take some time to ponder this. You might just be needing that design improvement. Not necessarily just in the physical space, although that IS important, but in the design of work flow, organizational structure, scorecards, leadership pipeline, mentoring programs, customer engagement and so on. Invest in Design. You'll find that it's worth your while! |
