Open Office Plan: Universal idea? 
Or just a good idea? 

As with many good ideas, the open office plan seemed to encourage open communication. Because increased communication is beneficial for most organizations, open office plans were adopted whole scale. 

Unfortunately, too much communication can interfere with concentration, also a desired commodity in organizations. This is particularly true in today's world where more and more is demanded of every person who contributes to an organization.

It's not that informal communication isn't beneficial at many levels of an organization, the question is where this communication needs to take place—by the water cooler, the hallways or informal gatherings. Probably every person who sits in an open cubicle arrangement has felt the tyranny of:
 

•  overhearing conversations that are interesting enough to be distracting, but of no worth,
•  getting caught in discussions with coworkers that are difficult from which to disengage, or
•  being distracted by telephone conversations carried on within a short proximity.


Work that requires concentration demands freedom from distraction, and open office plans don't accommodate peace and quiet. This is particularly true for writers, design engineers, creative types, literally anyone who needs to concentrate to work efficiently, creatively, and accurately. Rarely will one find open office design in a legal office. Psychologists could never work effectively in cubicles. Sun Microsystems has researched the study carefully, and they have concluded that private offices are desirable for many job types. 

Other positions seem to benefit from open office systems. Call centers, for example, benefit from staff being able to hear their colleagues talk with other customers. Open office plans offer informal on-the-job training possibilities. Supervisors can more readily detect problems and assist their staff when needed. 

Is there some way to compromise? Some offices allow staff to choose which type of office arrangement they prefer. Other organizations have private spaces that can be reserved for hours or a day at a time. Because of the cost savings realized from open office space, and because cubicles are easily moved, furniture makers are now producing floor to ceiling to panels. 

The key is for organizations to realize that no one answer will work for everyone in an organization, nor for every organization. Too many times, we fall into the mistaken assumption that if something is good, then it must be good for everyone. Certainly one lesson we might learn as we enter the 21st century is that we have sufficient resources and ample creative ideas so no one way needs to be forced on all of us. In fact, this might be an appropriate resolution for the new century: Application of good ideas need not be universal. 

 
Good luck!

Please submit your questions to Time Manager Questions and Answers. If you have questions, undoubtedly someone else has the same question. By asking a question, you'll help a fellow Time Manager user become more effective.
 
 

Previous "Time Manager Q & A Corner" pages: 
 

#1	Key Areas and Interruptions
#2	Daily Plans and Home Offices
#3	Result Statements
#4	Reading and Responding to E-Mail
#5	Sending E-Mail
#6	Filing According to Key Areas
#7	Setting up Files for the Whole Office
#8	Controlling Loose Pieces of Paper
#9	The Value of Time
#10	More on Results Statements
#11	Managing Time on the Road
#12	How to Get Time with Someone
#13	The Downside of Goals
#14	Thinking Types and Time
#15	Feeling Types and Time
#16	Intuitive Types and Time
#17	Sensate Types and Time
#18	What's Real about Strategic Planning?
#19	What Does Being Strategic Really Mean?
#20	How Perception of Time Influences Goal Choices
#21	The Four Immutable Laws of Controlling Your Desk
#22	Decision Making and Cultural Groups
#23	Paperless Office: Fact or Fiction?
#24	Exit Planning
#25	Speed: Does It Free Up More Time?
#26	Time in the 21st Century

Please submit your questions to Time Manager Questions and Answers by fax or e-mail . If you have questions, undoubtedly someone else has the same question. By asking a question, you'll help a fellow Time Manager user become more effective.

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