The Office Model
Now let us look at the Four Features on a smaller scale – a manager’s office as shown in the image below.
The solid wall behind the manager’s desk and chair is the Mountain feature.
The two walls on the left and right of his chair are the Guardian Hills. The door and open space in front of the desk are the Water feature. This makes the area with the desk and chairs the Energy Spot.
When following our intuition, we will most likely design our workspace based on these concepts. Thus, even in a small office, one can find and apply the fundamental Four Features Model.
When sitting with a wall behind, one naturally feels more secure and relaxed. When one is relaxed, Chi-Energy flows better through the body. With better Chi-Energy flow, one becomes more focused and productive.
On the other hand, if one sits facing a solid wall very close in front, and with an open space or a door behind, one will feel vulnerable and not as relaxed. This kind of psychological and physiological response is universal.
Nowadays, rather than connecting to their intuition or following common sense, people often do things habitually or mechanically and push their desks up against a window or wall, with the door behind the sitting position. With this configuration, it is likely that the time spent at the desk will not be very productive or the desk will not be used very often.
The Four Features Model in an office setting can be easily be applied and tested. Try these configurations in your office as an exercise to understand and appreciate the difference in Chi-Energy.
When people are not guided by their intuition or common sense, mistakes occur. An excellent example of this is the commonly used office layout known as the cubicle.
That will be our next post.
