homeWelcome, sign in or click here to subscribe.login
     


 

 

Architecture & Engineering


Clive Shearer
Management
by Design
By Clive Shearer
Subscriber content preview

August 8, 2007

Management by Design: The influence of office environments on office culture

By CLIVE SHEARER
Special to the Journal

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?


 
. . .


To read this story in full login or purchase a subscription.



Previous columns:



Email or user name:
Password:
 
Forgot password? Click here.