In many companies, open workspaces are still considered forward-looking because they are supposed to strengthen communication among each other and also keep distances in the office short. However, there have long been justified objections to the individual office – from the renowned Harvard University in the USA, of all places. Single vs. open-plan office: where is it really better to work?
Under the working title “The Impact of the Open-Workspace on Human Collaboration,” a Harvard University professor and a colleague published an exciting research paper on the topic: How do open-plan offices actually affect the work of individuals? Bernstein and Turban wanted to document the extent to which communication behavior among colleagues actually changed when they worked so close together. With a surprising result.
What large corporations entice you with
The test group, consisting of employees from two major U.S. corporations, were not only observed during a specified period of time, their data was also analyzed. The scientists not only wanted to measure how often and for how long the colleagues were in contact with each other, but also to evaluate how often they did so with the help of modern technologies. For this reason, conversations via e-mail and instant messenger services were also included in the observations. In addition, all test subjects wore sociometric sensors on their bodies to rule out subjective misinterpretations. The researchers also evaluated the companies’ server data in this regard. And they were surprised by the results. While employees spent an average of 5.8 hours a day talking before moving into the open-plan office, a week later they spent just 1.7 hours in the new office. That’s a drop of 72 percent!
Personal contact declines sharply
But that was not all. At the same time, the researchers observed a high increase in the use of electronic means of communication. It almost seemed as if virtual communication was replacing real on-site communication. For example, the number of e-mails sent increased by 56 percent, and the number of short messages sent via SMS and other services rose by 67 percent. There were no gender-specific differences to be discovered. This came as a surprise, as the researchers had assumed at the start of their studies that open-plan offices would promote contact with each other rather than inhibit it. In fact, the exact opposite occurred. Apparently, colleagues quickly tired of each other and preferred to conduct personal conversations or concrete exchanges behind closed doors. Since this was not possible, they used the detour via social media.
Single vs open-plan office or rather a mixture?
In a subsequent part of the study, the researchers investigated whether personal areas within the open-plan office would increase the frequency of communication. To do this, they separated the large space with small cubicles in which employees could not call an entire office their own, but they could call their own area their own. Here, the numbers of contacts increased at least slightly. Accordingly, the following question inevitably arose for modern open-plan offices and their view of the future: Does it make sense to plan large and open, or are personal workplaces more conducive to communication and thus the company as a whole? The answer cannot and should not be quite so clear-cut, because we are dealing here with two extremes. The option of sitting exclusively in a single office or spending working hours in an open-plan office, however this is set up and designed. Many companies are already taking the middle path by deliberately creating zones for getting together and working on specific projects on the one hand, and zones for individual work and small conferences on the other. In this way, everyone gets what they need and can choose what they feel most comfortable with in their particular work situation. Conclusion of the duel single vs. open-plan office: Both have their advantages as well as disadvantages, so it makes sense to plan a multispace office. Here, the advantages of both are combined.
Image copyright: denisismagilov
