Orchids, Dandelions, Tulips—A Research-Based Look at Workplace Performance
What kind of worker are you: an orchid, a dandelion or a tulip?
Some people need quiet and control to focus. Others can work anywhere. Most fall somewhere in between. Yet many workplaces are still designed as if everyone works the same way. That’s the disconnect.
Drawing on a concept from psychology—and in collaboration with NBBJ Fellow and developmental molecular biologist Dr. John Medina—we’ve translated “Orchids, Dandelions and Tulips” into a new lens for workplace design.
Orchids need calm, low-stimulation environments. Dandelions are highly adaptable. Tulips are a mix, requiring a balance of settings. Three distinct ways of working, each with different spatial needs. Here, we outline a practical framework for applying these insights to create more inclusive, high-performing workplaces.
Orchids: Rare Beauty
Named after the delicate and uncommonly beautiful orchid, these employees bring unique contributions to organizations through their creativity and hyperfocus—but only if, like Goldilocks, conditions are “just right.” Orchids are predisposed to overstimulation and sensory overload, and are more easily distracted by noise, interruptions and cognitive load than others. In the workplace, they gravitate toward solitary, private spaces where they can find deep focus. These needs are not limited to traditional office roles; they can also apply to researchers performing computational analysis or clinicians who need quiet for concentrated documentation.
As designers, we support orchids by embedding features that give them autonomy over their surroundings and opportunities to control acoustics and other sensory inputs. For example, circulation paths that put semi- and fully enclosed quiet areas on the periphery rather than in the center of the action allow orchids to watch what others are doing while maintaining a comfortable distance—a concept called “prospect and refuge.” In addition, integrating nature-infused niche calm zones to increase serotonin helps orchids regulate their nervous systems. For one client, we created three-sided “pocket parks” consisting of booths, pods and ample greenery lining the perimeter, providing places for respite free from visual and auditory distractions.
Orchids like to observe without being distracted or overstimulated.
Dandelions: Bloom Where You’re Planted
Like the hardy, sunlit flower, these team members can plant themselves almost anywhere to flourish. Dandelions get their energy from stimulating surroundings and the ability to work alongside colleagues, valuing opportunities for spontaneous connection. Because they thrive on the energy of their surroundings, they also become drained in what they perceive as quiet, low energy environments.
Designing for dandelions means creating distinct zones for collaboration. In the design of offices, these “dandelion zones” include centrally located hubs with open teaming and meeting areas, communal tables for coworking, and “mixer” tables that include screens so employees working remotely can feel more integrated into the office. In science and healthcare settings, this may resemble interdisciplinary project teams or care teams that benefit from spontaneous interaction and rapid exchange. Deliberately laying out the office floorplan with circulation designed to direct people to the center of activity and layering in amenities and other positive stimuli like music or art creates buzz among coworkers.
In addition to informal and teaming spaces, designing individual workspaces supported by technology that meets the needs of job families—groups of jobs within an organization that have similar work, skills, knowledge and career paths—can support dandelions' ability to focus. Solutions like dual or extra monitors, docking capabilities or teleconferencing equipment contribute to a more active, dynamic environment.
Dandelions flourish in open, central hubs.
Tulips: Garden Variety
Less sensitive to distractions than orchids but with a greater need for balance than dandelions, tulips comprise the majority of office workers, approximately 40%. Tulips often shift between shared and private areas depending on the kind of work they’re doing. They need to curate their surroundings to think but also benefit from the energy of social interactions. Design for tulips incorporates a diversity of spaces, with desk areas for collaboration and enclosed areas like conference rooms for focus.
Tulips, the group with which most people in the workplace identify, prefer a blend of open and enclosed spaces.
Regardless of whether you are an orchid, dandelion, tulip, it’s critical that your office forgoes the “one size fits all” ethos in favor of a more choice-based approach. And by going deeper into the science and philosophy around focus and preference, we can help companies prioritize and design for a more inclusive workplace—whether supporting employees in an office, scientists in a research environment, or caregivers in settings where focus and human performance are equally critical.
