Bernstein hopes the research will offer empirical evidence that will help managers consider the possible trade-offs of moving to an open office plan. In seeking a lower cost per square foot, they buy into the idea that it will also lead to more collaboration, even if it’s not clear that’s true.
“I don’t blame the architects,” he said. “But I do think we spend more of our time thinking about how to design workspaces based on the observer’s perspective” — the manager — “rather than the observed.”
— The Washington Post
If you're not a fan of open offices, you now have some empirical evidence in your favor. In two field studies recently published by Ethan S. Bernstein and Stephen Turban, they found that face-to-face interaction decreased by approximately 70 percent in both cases, while digital communication increased.
“In short, rather than prompting increasingly vibrant face-to-face collaboration, open architecture appeared to trigger a natural human response to socially withdraw from officemates and interact instead over email and IM,” the researchers write in the abstract of the study.
7 Comments
We should just all work in formal dining rooms and formal living rooms.
It’s a matter of preference.
I’ve worked in three separate open office architecture firms, each had a vastly differing number of employees. I’m an introvert, but I love the open office. I learn a lot by just overhearing conversations around me. At each firm, the project managers and principles sat amungst the employees, which made me feel respected in a way. It also makes it very easy to just turn around in my seat and point out issus with the drawings with my project lead or other team members so that we can work it out quickly. What I actually find frustrating is when I have to get up from my desk to walk completely around a barrier to just see what a different team member is trying to point out. If I had to get up, walk down the hall, knock on my project lead’s door, ask them about an issue, then have them get up and come back to my desk each time there was a problem on the drawings, then I would eventually stop telling my project lead about problems. Because I know that the PM would get frustrated quickly. I think it’s much better to lean over and ask, ‘Hey Joe, can you look at this for a sec?’
It’s probably the case that some people like the open office, and other people like separated spaces. Each having their own ideas about what makes it better or worse.
"I don't blame the architects..."
There's a first. I like this guy!
Better not blame the architects. It’s not our fault companies cheap out on real estate per employee.
Yes, but that rarely stops blame from flying in all directions, especially ours.
I email the people sitting next to me all the time, and when I talk to them directly it always ends up in an email any way.
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