Seeing Around the Corner: Why Legacy Brands Must Rethink the Future of Work
Legacy brands often struggle to demonstrate the agility needed to adapt to seismic shifts in the way customers connect with their products. The rise of remote work during the pandemic dramatically altered people’s relationship with work – but this transformation had been evolving for far longer.
More than a decade ago, I wrote that no matter how enticing corporate offices became, and regardless of the perks offered, massive corporate complexes were increasingly perceived as prisons. This inflexibility, I argued, dampened morale and engagement. I urged businesses to adopt a life‑centric approach to the future of work – one that reimagines the employee‑work dynamic from a holistic, human‑centered perspective.
The recent news of Steelcase’s acquisition of HNI Corporation has revived those concerns about the risks of rigid business models. It’s a reminder that for established brands to remain relevant in rapidly evolving markets, they must embrace change – not resist it.
Three decades ago, Microsoft offered a powerful example of this forward‑thinking mindset. The company hired SonicRim to conduct generative research into how people’s relationship with computers might evolve as they shifted from office tools to everyday home appliances. Led by Steve Kaneko and Edie Adams, the project helped hardware manufacturers, designers, and business leaders understand not only the market shift but the deep mental and behavioral adaptations required. The resulting framework – known as the “fields of home experience” – was widely shared inside Microsoft’s Hardware Design Team and with OEM brands across the industry, helping the entire ecosystem prepare for the next era.
Now the question is this: will HNI Corporation + Steelcase use the expanded resources from their merger to explore new ways people relate to work – and the design approaches required to support these changes? Growth through mergers and acquisitions typically focuses on intellectual property, distribution networks, market penetration, and cash reserves. But just as Microsoft once looked beyond the obvious to study untapped opportunities in home computing, Steelcase has a chance to look beyond the familiar territory of office furniture. The Steelcase I have known has a culture that values curiosity, exploration, and “seeing around the corner.” My hope is that HNI Corporation will not only recognize this spirit but nurture it.
In the end, the success of this merger will hinge less on operational efficiencies or market share, and more on the willingness to embrace uncertainty – to study shifting human needs before they fully emerge, and to design for the reality that work is no longer a place, but an experience woven throughout our lives. If HNI Corporation and Steelcase can commit to that vision, they won’t just be responding to change – they’ll be shaping the future.
