By Sara Armbruster, Steelcase vice president, strategy, research & digital transformation

**Some content in this post refers to features exclusive to Microsoft Surface Hub 2X**

Today, I’m proud to announce that Steelcase is expanding its relationship with Microsoft to enable new ways to work with the next generation Surface Hub, which is being unveiled today. Our deep understanding of the changing nature of work inspired us to think about all the ways Surface Hub 2 could help teams be more agile and creative. People need to be untethered and able to work in the best places to support whatever task is at hand. And they need to visualize problems from various perspectives. To support those new behaviors, we collaborated with Microsoft to create a system of easy-to-hang wall mounts and a lightweight rolling stand. This gives people true mobility to collaborate anywhere and to reorient the device in the best way to visualize their information. Designed by Steelcase, this complementary system of integrated components will give local and remote teams the fluidity to collaborate in whatever ways works best for them.

https://youtu.be/7DbslbKsQSk

Supporting a great employee experience

As organizations pursue growth they need to foster more innovation, which needs a new kind of work culture. To support this change, we believe it’s critical to create a great employee experience at work to attract the right talent, engage people and help them do their best work so organizations can innovate and grow.

Creating a great employee experience requires three things: create a culture that supports the wellbeing of people, provide technology that works where and how people need it, and give people a diverse range of spaces to support the different types of activities they do throughout their day. Yet many organizations design these three elements independently, with HR, IT and Real Estate all functioning as separate departments and with separate teams. Together with Microsoft, we’re working to help organizations bridge this gap to bring people, place and technology together holistically, as an interconnected ecosystem. This latest collaboration with Microsoft, along with our earlier work together developing Creative Spaces and Workplace Advisor, shows that technology can make place more effective and that well-designed places can help technology be easier to use.

Work is changing faster than ever before, and so places and technology must change too. People need cloud-enabled technology that is both mobile and fixed, so their ideas can travel with them wherever they go, whether they’re working alone or together. Similarly, workers need a diverse range of spaces that support focus, collaboration, learning, socialization and respite. They need places that drive agility and creative performance.

Bringing together people, place + technology

Together with Microsoft, we’re creating a support system for the Surface Hub 2 that brings people, space and technology together and helps create a great employee experience. Our solutions enable workers to create and ideate anywhere, at any time, with the movement and fluidity to take their ideas wherever they need to go.

We’re excited to offer specific product and distribution details and new spaces that optimize Surface Hub 2.

Sara Armbruster is Steelcase vice president of strategy, research and digital transformation. She works closely with Steelcase’s businesses on major initiatives and oversees the strategy development process. In addition, she leads all corporate business development activity. She manages Steelcase’s design research, which focuses on understanding users, changing work patterns, and the impact of emerging technologies in the workplace – all critical inputs to Steelcase innovations.