Management is always on the hunt for better methods of achieving company goals and mission.
In the last few years, we have seen the spread of the open office concept through the country at lightning speed.
I have rarely seen the spread of a new trend in business sweep so fast across every type of office…as quickly as a wildfire.
The goals of an open office are wonderful and lofty.
I suspect it came from the startup world where, out economic necessity, everyone worked in one large room using doors propped up on saw horses.
People worked like crazy, collaborated together all day and accomplished amazing things.
Small, medium and large companies want to duplicate the hard work and collaboration found in a startup company.
That would be a great accomplishment.
The problem is the startup mentality does not last.
What is the first thing a startup company does when they get a large investment?
Upgrade the office!
They build offices, set up cubicles, and get an environment where they can spread away from each other.
The open office evaporates!
Team Members Stop Talking
We now find out that open offices cause team members to talk less to each other!
According to a study by a couple of professors at Harvard University, open offices reduce the interaction with other team members by 72%!
Apparently, the team members prefer to email and IM each other rather than talking in an open office.
Eyes
One problem with open offices is everything is full view of everyone.
Not only will the ADD sufferers struggle but employees will feel that they should be seen working hard or at least pretending to work.
The feel eyes will be on them.
This will greatly reduce the collaboration as employees will be concerned they will be seen as goofing off.
Before a company commits to an expensive remodel to provide an open office atmosphere, it is a good idea to think through all of these issues surrounding the open office concept.
One method that will provide fantastic productivity is remote work. I have covered that topic in other blog posts. It is not for everyone, but a great option for many.