Category: Organisational Aesthetics

Explorations of the aesthetic, emotional, and symbolic dimensions of workspaces, drawing on art practice, organisational life, and Human Relations thinking — including what becomes possible when we pay attention to the artifacts in our own home work environments and the quiet ways they communicate meaning

How to make your bookshelf smile

Organisational Aesthetics

This week I was telling colleagues, clients and friends about the trends in senior leader training, I’d been hearing about. Especially those deep soft elements that help presenters with engagement in hybrid, virtual or online meetings. There has been a lot discussed about the importance of backgrounds when you are doing an online meeting, especially if you are a senior in the organisation. Interestingly in the middle of one of the meetings I was asked about my own bookshelf and they pointed to one of my lights and it started a nice ice breaking warming conversation.

I understand why this is happening. I often get asked about my bookshelf style in wonder. Some think its one of those generic backgrounds or that I am in a very swanky part of the HQ that no one has ever seen. Little so they know that it is through  using my old film studies scholar hat, I made the connection of how we still turn to the dramatic arts and cinematography in organisation life. And how this part of the cultural sphere can help us to understand how best to convey the identities that we want with clever use of props (our own home office decor). A WebEx, Zoom, Go To Meeting screen is no different to the big silver screen. It’s just smaller and because you are the central actor the mise-en-scene should convey more about who you are.

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Celebrating Unique Bookshelves

Organisational Aesthetics

This new year allowed me to reflect on how important our home office decor is. I was encouraged about its importance from recently watching the Jay Shetty conversation with Kelly Wearstler (famous interior designer) on You Tube 2nd October 2023. The messages about decor from their talk (Your space can affect your Mood) that I took away were:

  • The decor of your home needs to stand out and be distinctive to everyone else’s as so much of our interiors looks the same these days
  • Beautiful interior decor and careful styling can help to uplift your spirit as well as bring peace and calm
  • Everyone is looking at our backgrounds in online meetings and trying to make sense of who we are
Picture is of my backdrop in the midst of a shelfie makeover. I was trying to get the books and outline aligned to the obligatory smile shape. Lighting of the bookshelf is also vital several reasons which I shall explain in other postings

Some of the other reading I have done say more. Since doing my interior styling course and reading more about shelfies and office decor, I note they all tend to stress the connections that people make about your decor and your identity. Our office decor then is an important piece of personal branding.

I even stumbled across a couple of old organisation behaviour papers that I shall share later in other blogs with you. These research papers point to the important role of artefacts like office decor on shaping and sending messages about organisation culture.

So this year some of my content will provide helpful hints and tips about home office styling that converts your online meeting attendees into people that start icebreaking conversations that are more meaningful.

Drop me a line. If there is anything particular you would like me to cover in my future posts about home office styling, shelfies, backdrops, cultural artefacts in organisations, then please let me know.

A Better Style

Organisational Aesthetics

My last post of 2023. This balances out the product showcase post on Sunday 17th.

I went on an interior styling intensive course at Chelsea College of Art and Design. It strangely felt like revisiting my old employer twice. Once because I was previously course director of a MA programme at UAL and second because I worked for the Tate one summer in the membership department at the Tate Britain (Millbank) site in the 1990’s. My work at Tate Britain meant that I then went on to do my arts management dissertation comparing Tate and Art institute of Chicago’s membership strategies. Ahh, those were the days. Sorry I digress.

Anyway, last week, the tutor for my interior styling was the amazing Emma who took us through the practical steps of being one of those people who set up the shots for glossy interiors magazines as well as the communication collateral for big brands.

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Botanical Mesmerisation

Organisational Aesthetics

Here is is one picture series for the product showcase, ideally. But these images of new pieces of work are placed here for now until I get my new laptop and can access the product showcase part of my blog again. I’ve already asked WordPress about such a strange anomaly, they said they’re working on it.

Blogging via phone 🤳🏽 the last few months has been interesting but it has its limitations. Nevertheless it’s a short one this week to give my thumbs a rest.

Main message is that I love plants and it shows up as if by magic in my art.

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