Vertically integrated research: An unusual business model

WeWork designs, constructs and manages offices around the globe that serve as a unique test bed through close ongoing contact with their users. Founded in New York in 2010, it is one of the world’s fastest-growing companies, now with over 335 offices that each contain similar elements but combine them in slightly different ways. Daniel Davis, a Director of Research at the firm, here explains how their similarity allows his team to pinpoint the subtle reasons for differences in performance - from desk placement to the impact of staircases on social networks - and to feed this back into new projects, boosting both the occupants’ experience and the company’s success.