With the lockdown slowly easing, and organisations considering how to reshape their offices, is now the time to fundamentally reevaluate our assumptions of the office layout?
Consider the 2018 study which showed the negative impact of the ‘open’ workspace on collaboration.
People have a desire for privacy. The study showed the open-plan office can reduce privacy, resulting in less face-to-face communication and collaboration.
The open-plan office can overstimulate, thus decrease organisational productivity.
We need to create team-focused boundaries; semi-permeable team areas which support local decision-making and psychological safety. Teams need to control when to work privately and when to be open and allow greater serendipity.
As offices are being reshaped, let’s take the opportunity to consult with our teams to create a space designed around their needs to collaborate and solve problems.
