For Hamley, employment is an activity increasingly dominated by knowledge. As the information age rapidly becomes the age of artificial intelligence (AI), it’s crucial that organizations create a healthy working environment for the human mind. There’s a danger that returning to the bland corporate offices people left in 2020—designed to promote homogeneity rather than encourage individuality—will stifle that. Little wonder many have stayed home.

Hamley is instrumental in JLL’s development of the Science of Work to support “companies to help their employees do their work wherever they are.”

Quantifying the unquantifiable requires an innovative approach. Walshe began searching for answers in 2015 with Hacking Creativity. This “research project into the ecology of human creativity” mapped relationships between creative habits by surveying over ten thousand people to better understand how humans can do their best creative work.

One of the study’s most important findings was that there is no single way to be creative. Through advanced ecological network analytics, seven creative styles were identified, each with a different set of habits and attitudes toward work, allowing individuals to realize their distinct creative potential.

As part of its exploration into the Science of Work, JLL and Walshe are collaborating on a project that will bring the findings of Hacking Creativity to a wider audience. It allows people to identify and understand their style and the conditions they need to get their best work done.

These types range from Twilight Trailblazers (Solo Noctus) to Collaborative Explorers (Socialis Adventurous). The first are tenacious and dedicated night owls who thrive in wide-open terrains. The second are morning people and highly social risk-takers who enjoy finding new landscapes in which to work.

Then there’s the Solitary Stabilizer (Mono Routinus), which grows best alone in enclosed spaces, dislikes risk but likes routine. It’s not suited to life with Social Catalysts (Novo Gregarious)—collaborators who thrive with others and love music and lively conversation.

Embracing this research, JLL is linking the Science of Creativity with the Science of Experience to develop a new approach to the way we think about work.

High performers in any field have established habits and metrics that they regularly use to optimize their efforts. At JLL, the use of “human experience analytics” gives a detailed picture of how their employees experience work wherever they are.

This approach to the Science of Work builds on previous studies, such as the workplace neuroscience research that JLL conducted in 2022. Among other insights, this study found that people work better together in the morning, and that even when working on individual tasks, people perform better in the presence of others.

The application of these insights can provide more detailed information on the power of workplace experience to support people in reaching their potential.

Creativity research adds another layer. Creative styles influence an individual’s requirements and preferences for ways of working, as well as the environment in which they’ll flourish.

When it comes to making evidence-informed decisions about the future of work, very few organizations have moved beyond simplistic measures, such as utilization and cost. While this is important, Hamley says that companies are focused on the wrong thing. “The most creative companies see their work as a learning experience. They provide tailored support and coaching to grow—rather than simply attract—talent.” For the companies that get it right, resilience and innovation await.

This powerful combination of data and insight is helping JLL shape the future of work, developing work-focused environments for everyone to be their best and do their finest, most creative work.