> Executives believe that an environment without cubicles fosters collaboration, innovation and creativity. Research has backed up some of these claims.
Pretty much all the research I've read into this actually says the exact opposite.
There seems to be some data suggesting that open offices do promote collaboration. Specifically, higher 'contact' rates with other people in the company tends to produce lots of useful informal communication.
Of course, what's missing from that result is all the data saying that open offices also lower productivity, increase distraction frequency, raise stress, and increase sick leave.
Notably, the good results are indirect benefits of open offices, while the downsides are mostly direct. There have been efforts to derive those benefits without actually using open plans - for instance by adopting radial building designs and centralizing shared spaces (conference rooms, cafeterias, etc). That lets you increase 'hallway collaboration' without actually bothering people while they try to work.
> There seems to be some data suggesting that open offices do promote collaboration. Specifically, higher 'contact' rates with other people in the company tends to produce lots of useful informal communication.
Verbal communication is unrecorded communication. Unrecorded communication is communication which must be repeated to any stakeholder who wasn't present. Repetition is inefficient.
Of course, sometimes that's unavoidable. Employees aren't perfect readers and writers - some people have difficulty expressing themselves in prose, others don't have the ability to quickly parse dozens of pages of written communication to pull out the snippets which are personally relevant, and practically speaking they can't all be replaced overnight. Sometimes, emotional appeals need to be privately, unrecorded.
But the long-term benefits of prefer-written communication are so incredibly high. New employees on-board faster and less disruptively. Employees can work from home, commute less, and procure higher-quality housing in less-expensive areas as a result, making them happier with a higher discretionary income.
For some anecdotal evidence, I "work" in an open office space. Quotes because I can't actually work there. Every day, all day, I float between empty meeting rooms, the cold server room, anywhere I can get some quiet.
We were given noise cancelling headphones, but they don't block the visually distractions that come from having no backboard and seeing 30 other desks in front of you.
It may help for people who don't need to concentrate, but I need to get lost in code for some hours to be productive and hit the deadlines.
Interestingly, the problem seems to come from the inconsistency in verbal/visual in an open workspace. Silence and stillness for 10 minutes, then some interruption.
Constant chaos (busy coffee shop, cafeteria, etc) is much easier for me to ignore.
It's about money and space. Offices take up much more space and are more expensive. And don't adjust to variable size workforces. Cubicles are the same problem to a lesser degree, but also suck because they are not really a substitute for an office.
Basically it's just much easier to suggest open is somehow more modern or something than to give everyone an office or pick who gets one.
My solution would actually be to try something kind of crazy with micro-offices, built in video conferencing, noise absorbing panels and advanced ventilation.
> My solution would actually be to try something kind of crazy with micro-offices, built in video conferencing, noise absorbing panels and advanced ventilation.
A few very high-profile companies seem to have pulled this off. Look up pictures of e.g. the Pixar offices. What you find is spaces that aren't standard, closed offices, but they're not open-plan either. Since it's Pixar, they're often weird and artistic - this office is a plastic castle, this office is a den of curios, etc.
But common across all the different weirdness is modular spaces with solid walls and soft surfaces. Meaning: no distracting backdrops, no easily-spread germs, no random noises, no feeling of someone standing over your shoulder. And yet the space can be reworked without bringing in teams of movers and tearing out load-bearing walls every time you get a new hire.
And sure, "that's just Pixar". You need big budgets and an unusual culture to do that. But... we're talking about Apple. Does anyone really think they can't find a way to put a solid barrier between desks without having to build structurally-fixed offices?
Many years ago I was VP Development of a 100 person software company moving into new space. I demanded private offices for all engineers, so the best CFO ever sat down with me and we quantified the additional costs it would impose on us. We came up with less than $500 per year per engineer, who on average cost us close to $100k a year, including benefits/payroll tax/etc.
Executives somehow never seem to join the open office plan. They normally seem to have their offices or just book up a meeting room week after week. If you go open office I think everyone needs go open office including the executives.
I worked at a large internet company where no one, all the way up to the CEO, had an office. But directors and up spent 90+% of their time in meetings anyway so it was a transparent, empty gesture. And then they each had their own reserved conference room anyway.
In all fairness, when I interviewed with Intel many years ago, they had a cube farm, and Andy Grove had a cube; they showed it to me. This was 20+ years ago, so things might have changed since.
But to your point, yes, managers typically have offices. They know open floor plans suck. It's amazing that Apple got duped into thinking it wasn't bullshit.
Although all open offices aren't necessarily circular in shape, the design theory behind the Panopticon[1] and open offices are eerily similar.
"The building circular—A cage, glazed—a glass lantern about the Size of Ranelagh—The prisoners in their cells, occupying the circumference—The officers in the centre. By blinds and other contrivances, the inspectors concealed […] from the observation of the prisoners: hence the sentiment of a sort of omnipresence—The whole circuit reviewable with little, or if necessary without any, change of place. One station in the inspection part affording the most perfect view of every cell."
"The architecture incorporates a tower central to a circular building that is divided into cells, each cell extending the entire thickness of the building to allow inner and outer windows. The occupants of the cells are thus backlit, isolated from one another by walls, and subject to scrutiny both collectively and individually by an observer in the tower who remains unseen. Toward this end, Bentham envisioned not only venetian blinds on the tower observation ports but also maze-like connections among tower rooms to avoid glints of light or noise that might betray the presence of an observer."
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[ 3.6 ms ] story [ 20.3 ms ] threadPretty much all the research I've read into this actually says the exact opposite.
Of course, what's missing from that result is all the data saying that open offices also lower productivity, increase distraction frequency, raise stress, and increase sick leave.
Notably, the good results are indirect benefits of open offices, while the downsides are mostly direct. There have been efforts to derive those benefits without actually using open plans - for instance by adopting radial building designs and centralizing shared spaces (conference rooms, cafeterias, etc). That lets you increase 'hallway collaboration' without actually bothering people while they try to work.
Verbal communication is unrecorded communication. Unrecorded communication is communication which must be repeated to any stakeholder who wasn't present. Repetition is inefficient.
Of course, sometimes that's unavoidable. Employees aren't perfect readers and writers - some people have difficulty expressing themselves in prose, others don't have the ability to quickly parse dozens of pages of written communication to pull out the snippets which are personally relevant, and practically speaking they can't all be replaced overnight. Sometimes, emotional appeals need to be privately, unrecorded.
But the long-term benefits of prefer-written communication are so incredibly high. New employees on-board faster and less disruptively. Employees can work from home, commute less, and procure higher-quality housing in less-expensive areas as a result, making them happier with a higher discretionary income.
We were given noise cancelling headphones, but they don't block the visually distractions that come from having no backboard and seeing 30 other desks in front of you.
It may help for people who don't need to concentrate, but I need to get lost in code for some hours to be productive and hit the deadlines.
Interestingly, the problem seems to come from the inconsistency in verbal/visual in an open workspace. Silence and stillness for 10 minutes, then some interruption.
Constant chaos (busy coffee shop, cafeteria, etc) is much easier for me to ignore.
Basically it's just much easier to suggest open is somehow more modern or something than to give everyone an office or pick who gets one.
My solution would actually be to try something kind of crazy with micro-offices, built in video conferencing, noise absorbing panels and advanced ventilation.
A few very high-profile companies seem to have pulled this off. Look up pictures of e.g. the Pixar offices. What you find is spaces that aren't standard, closed offices, but they're not open-plan either. Since it's Pixar, they're often weird and artistic - this office is a plastic castle, this office is a den of curios, etc.
But common across all the different weirdness is modular spaces with solid walls and soft surfaces. Meaning: no distracting backdrops, no easily-spread germs, no random noises, no feeling of someone standing over your shoulder. And yet the space can be reworked without bringing in teams of movers and tearing out load-bearing walls every time you get a new hire.
And sure, "that's just Pixar". You need big budgets and an unusual culture to do that. But... we're talking about Apple. Does anyone really think they can't find a way to put a solid barrier between desks without having to build structurally-fixed offices?
After that I never had an ounce of pushback.
But to your point, yes, managers typically have offices. They know open floor plans suck. It's amazing that Apple got duped into thinking it wasn't bullshit.
Another subtle problem with open/unassigned layout is wasting time tracking people down.
"The building circular—A cage, glazed—a glass lantern about the Size of Ranelagh—The prisoners in their cells, occupying the circumference—The officers in the centre. By blinds and other contrivances, the inspectors concealed […] from the observation of the prisoners: hence the sentiment of a sort of omnipresence—The whole circuit reviewable with little, or if necessary without any, change of place. One station in the inspection part affording the most perfect view of every cell."
"The architecture incorporates a tower central to a circular building that is divided into cells, each cell extending the entire thickness of the building to allow inner and outer windows. The occupants of the cells are thus backlit, isolated from one another by walls, and subject to scrutiny both collectively and individually by an observer in the tower who remains unseen. Toward this end, Bentham envisioned not only venetian blinds on the tower observation ports but also maze-like connections among tower rooms to avoid glints of light or noise that might betray the presence of an observer."
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticon