IN THIS age of appropriate behaviour, how does a company that makes photocopiers that spit out paper deal with the demands of a sustainable world that is going digital?
Ricoh learned from the example of its customers to develop a new business that still puts the office at the centre of everything.
Ben Chong, Managing Director of Ricoh (S) explains what the copier company has done to become innovative.
Ricoh walks its talk and has an open plan office that looks spacious and attractive as a place to work in. Whether that is enough to attract the younger generation will be a good test of a company that is changing its corporate image and culture in anticipation of business needs.
There are no locks on the doors and no one has an office. Ben’s room can be occupied if he’s away. All personal effects are placed in lockers.
The water cooler is replaced by an array of beverages, and interaction is encouraged.
But is this just a reflection of how offices have evolved? Will the process continue at a rapid rate, leaving behind the notion of the office as an uncomfortable question mark in the air?
