In a knowledge economy we create value through learning. Humans learn best in teams. Yet we hire, pay and promote individuals. Our workspace design reflects this bias: we put individuals to work behind isolated desks, with desktop software that is designed for the individual author. For a better design, we must reach back to a pattern not commonly experienced since kindergarten: the shared table.

The shared table is the core metaphor for how to perform work today. The table convenes the team—individuals who have committed their time and skills to solve a customer or business problem together. Team productivity and team performance is the measure of success.

Technology has improved remote collaboration, but the highest-performing teams sit round a physical table. This is where the team’s knowledge can be found: on walls, on space dividers and on the tabletop itself. Every surface should be usable. The shared table is also their home base, and should communicate territory and belonging.

Examples