Thinking out of the box and working outside the box

09 Apr Thinking out of the box and working outside the box

It took me to wondering if open offices, offices where cubicles have become invisible and people more visible, are actually professional and healthy work spaces.

I happen to visit a client’s office recently. This client, a leading manufacturing company, has a large open office, much like the new age organizations. I spotted my client contact, Anita from HR, munching on chips as she reviewed reports, while Kumar from Sales was instructing his team with regard to invoices, and Meena from Marketing on phone negotiating with her agency. Many activities simultaneously on one work floor;distractions, noise, interruptions – so many impediments to productivity! Do open offices really achieve what they were set out to do? Much has been researched and said about this.

The concept of open office was conceived in Germany and was swiftly picked up and championed by the Silicon Valley firms. These companies eliminated private spaces, brought down cubicle walls and employees sat shoulder to shoulder in shared desks. Why did offices adopt this ‘modern’ plan and give up what was erstwhile symbol of corporate hierarchy and tradition?

•  Interactions stimulate creativity and open set ups can encourage innovation and flow of ideas among team members.
• Without barriers the workplace transforms into a fun filled and collaborative environment.
• People do not work in silos which in turn deepens a sense of team work and belonging to the company.

Some disadvantages too came up in the research:

• Noise: It is the single biggest disrupter in office spaces. This can lead to lower attention span and impact cognitive performance and concentration levels of employees, even for those who are capable multitaskers.
• Uncontrolled interactions: Interruptions by colleagues can lead to lower productivity, low quality of work output and sometime loss of thought flow. It can have serious impact especially on senior employees.
• Lack of privacy: Less control on some local factors like lighting and no personal space can be detrimental to employee motivation and drive.
• Social pressure: Employees get a feeling that they are being watched by their co-workers and this can put pressure and stress on them. Many even go to the extent of putting up a front trying to look busy in an open setup.

Some measures implemented by open space organizations to address such issues include separate rooms for interdependent or cross functional members. This helps in harnessing their disruptive energy for effective communication and collaboration which might lead to an Increase in their productivity while encouraging camaraderie.

Huddle spaces are provided which give employees flexibility to use silent rooms and think pods can help specially when they need alone time.Technology is a hugeenabler and these rooms are equipped with adequate tech facilities for the employees meet in small groups or even work alone.

Open work spaces have come to stay. Crunching of chips notwithstanding, open environment has many positive factors and people will adapt to this soon and learn to allow that subtle element of privacy and space so important in a flexible and activity based space which has replaced cubicles.

In the end, it comes down to choosing what works for your organization. Understandably, a disruptive start-up might prefer a certain arrangement over a 60 year old manufacturing company. Ultimately, a healthy, motivated and efficient workforce is what matters and any investment made for this would be worth it.