The Pilgrim's Guide
to the Workplace
Hoping to incubate a unique idea about workplace design, I walked alone for 42 days from Melbourne to Sydney. My pilgrimage delivered 34 Signposts, a collection of insights which hold the promise to guide us to a better place to work.
The Signposts point away from reactive solutions with a short shelf life. Instead, these markers are infused with a diversity of thought instilled by the pilgrimage and reclaim the forgotten qualities of solitude, boredom, adversity, and absurdity as mechanisms to deliver innovation and create improved working environments.
This is an Open Access book. You have free and unlimited access to a variety of formats.
ENGLISH VERSION
I write from the perspective of a pilgrim, architect, workplace consultant, and researcher and invite you to join me as a fellow pilgrim. You will be rewarded with a journey that revisits our assumptions about the way we use space to host the ever-evolving notion of work – an expedition leading not only to better versions of the workplace, but a better version of ourselves.
This book takes about three hours to read, and it could take a lifetime to fully extract all the benefits that it contains.
This does not suggest that there are not immediate benefits available from reflecting on and applying the Signposts that are core to the book's intellectual contribution.
Extract of peer review
Signposts Cards
ONLINE CARDS
Explore the complete Signpost collection via the online browser.
PHYSICAL CARDS
The physical cards are used to calibrate the Signposts at The Pilgrim's Workshop.
• 34 Signposts Cards
+ 6 Customisable
• 4 Calibration Cards
+ 2 Customisable
The Pilgrim's Workshop
A two part exploration of Work and the Workplace.
The Pilgrim's Workshop is for anyone who yearns to embark on an adventure in diversity of ideas about work and the workplace.
ONE WORKSHOP, TWO PARTS.
PART ONE
The Carnival
Carnivals are little moments where people are allowed to be absurd... but it's only for a day or so, that you can upset the balance of everything.*
In Part One we explore the possibilities of work and the workplace by questioning their unchallenged assumptions. It includes a guided tour through the
Pilgrim’s Guide to the Workplace.
PART TWO
The Hangover
Organisations need absence of absurdity to deliver what they do, to complete the tasks. There’s no space for absurdity when we’re talking about coordination.*
Headaches, nausea, and fatigue are usual side effects of exploring the absurd. In Part Two we coordinate the potential of the ludicrous with the reality of your organisation.
* Extract of The Pilgrim's Guide to the Workplace
WORKSHOP REVIEWS
"I found 'The Pilgrim's Workshop' to be a thought-provoking experience that challenged my thinking and opened my mind to new perspectives on innovation and nurturing our human potential in today's workplace. As someone who advocates for distributed work models, I was struck by Agustin’s ability to create a safe space for exploring unconventional ideas, while also providing a structured framework to turn them into actionable strategies.
The workshop inspired me to embrace moments of 'productive foolishness' as a catalyst for innovative thinking, balanced by periods of pragmatic implementation ('the work').
Whether you're a workplace strategist, designer, manager, or simply passionate about shaping the future of work like me, I highly recommend attending this transformative experience. It will challenge your preconceptions and equip you with fresh perspectives on designing workplaces that unleash the human potential."
June 2024
Want to learn more?
Send an email with details of your event and we can discuss the workshop scope and agenda.