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by Design By Clive Shearer |
August 8, 2007
Imagine getting off an elevator on the third floor of an office building. You step into a brightly lit, empty hallway with a plain linoleum floor below, a fluorescent lit ceiling above. And down the hallway on both sides are rows upon rows of closed doors. This is the traditional office layout found in many traditional office buildings. You return to the elevator and descend one floor. As the doors part you find yourself in a totally different environment, open, softly illuminated with natural light on all sides. People are easily visible, some seated in cubicles, others standing and conversing quietly. Here is the puzzle: does the layout influence the office culture? Or is it the culture that is reflected in the way the office is laid out?
Let's examine the floor with the hallway and the private offices behind closed doors. Is the culture one of secrecy, formality and inaccessibility, or is it one of privacy, respect, productivity and time to think? What about the floor layout with open access to everyone? Is the culture one of teamwork, fairness and equality, or is it one leading to a fractured workday with diminished productivity due to distractions and interruptions?
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