What drives the design at izzy? People. izzy's writer Kristin Tennant interviewed Chuck Saylor to get a better grasp of what drive's Chuck's design and why he created izzy.

People-Centered Work (Not Work Centered-People)

K: When you talk about the New Workstyles, where do you begin?

C: First you have to look at culture. What did it look like 30 years ago? How is it changing? What influences it?

K: What does influence culture?

C: Things like social behavior, human values, and artistic innovation. Certainly technology, like the popularity of the PC and the Internet, and crises and other defining moments, like the Vietnam War. When you think about the many ways these things have affected us in the past 30 years, it's impossible to believe that we should be doing work the way we did 30 years ago.

K: Did any specific mentality define business culture 30 years ago?

C: There was an oppressive command-and-control mentality in most large businesses then. Basically, it said that people at the top were smart, and the rest of us were stupid. It was a dehumanizing business model.

Now that structure is collapsing. Do people really need layers of process and hierarchy to do their jobs? Will the next generation even be willing to participate in anything that remotely resembles that old organizational structure? Companies need to rethink how they must equip these people to compete in a global, 24/7 economy. Part of that has to do with their work environments. In 1975, the office environment had everything to do with eight-foot-square cubicles. Today, people rule the workplace. Work happens any time and everywhere. In other words, this is not your father's workplace. izzy focuses on doing business a different way.

K: And then designs products that encourage others to think about work in new ways?

C: Exactly.

K: Getting back to culture as a starting place for how we should think about work: We all generally know what culture is, but how do you actually define it, or know it when you see it?

C: Some of it you can see because it's packaged in three-dimensional objects like fashion, art, and buildings. But culture is also embodied in our values, social behavior, communications, and norms. Ultimately, culture is embodied in us--in people and the ways we live and work together.

K: Then how do these various aspects of culture translate to New Workstyles?

C: Think about technology for a minute, as an example of how individuals are affected. Technology gives us universal access to information. Technology allows us to operate in real time, and can go with us wherever we go. So our work and personal time are becoming more blurred. On the business culture side of things, the shift is in recognizing people as the ultimate competitive advantage. If you care about people, then you care about what they care about--you recognize the need to balance quality of life with work.

K: So if you had to sum up the New Workstyles in a single phrase, would it be "people-centered?"

C: Absolutely. It's about people, not furniture. People are infinitely more important than money, and a balanced life is more satisfying and rewarding than work. izzy is all about leveraging great design to help re-humanize the workplace.

K: Can you share some specific examples of how design and furniture can positively affect how people work?

C: Sure. New Workstyles place great importance on collaboration, so the space must be functional; it must be flexible; and it must be highly adaptable. There is also a focus on space that is simple, fun, and engaging--that feels authentic and is human-centric. Tools should be understandable and intuitive. Work can be re-humanized and personalized through scale, color, and materials.

K: How do people react in spaces like these?

C: These "campsite" environments promote learning because people come together in a casual setting to share, like you would around a campfire. Organizations can become flatter, and work teams can be more collaborative. The focus shifts to creativity, growth, and risk taking. As a result, the work itself becomes stronger. It's more authentic. Efficiency increases. People enjoy their work and take more ownership. And do the companies notice a difference? Absolutely. The companies thrive because the people--the campers--thrive.

K: What characterizes campers?

C: Campers are highly skilled. They're lifestyle-centric. They're adventurous. They want to share and collaborate, and they want meaning and balance. These people are at their best in campsite settings, and they are squelched in settings that focus on controls, gate keeping, and asset utilization. izzy wants to help people be at their best and enjoy what they do--it's that simple. So we focus on campers and designing tools that make their corporate campsites more fun, engaging, and human-centric.