Socio-spatial perspectives on open-plan versus cellular offices
Journal of Managerial Psychology
ISSN: 0268-3946
Article publication date: 24 July 2020
Issue publication date: 27 April 2021
Abstract
Purpose
This research provides a new perspective on the long-standing debate of open-plan versus cellular offices. It analyzes the effects of workplace layouts on organizational outputs such as innovation, efficiency and privacy by considering the physical space of an organization alongside its organizational structure. This socio-spatial approach draws on correspondence theory originating from space syntax to understand the potential for unplanned encounters between diverse groups of people.
Design/methodology/approach
Three different organizations are studied, two open-plan and one cellular office. Floor and seating plans are analyzed to calculate the degree of correspondence between the spatial and conceptual closeness of people. Demands for each organization are derived from semi-structured interviews and publicly available information.
Findings
The three studied organizations present very different degrees of openness toward others in ways that challenge conventional views of cellular and open-plan offices. In each case, the degree of correspondence matches the demands placed on the organization, and hence, providing a relatively good fit between the organization and interior environment.
Research limitations/implications
A larger sample of open-plan and cellular offices would be useful to consider in further research.
Practical implications
Managers can use the concept of correspondence to generate the appropriate degree of unplanned encounters between the right sets of people in order to achieve the best organization-environment fit.
Originality/value
The main innovation of this paper lies in its socio-spatial approach, considering physical space alongside managerial, organizational choices.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the three studied organizations for enabling access to their buildings and people. A thank you also goes to all staff members in these organizations who have willingly contributed their time in answering questions. Finally, the authors are grateful for the efforts of Petros Koutsolampros, who created an automated workflow to calculate Yule’s Q in depthmapX and R.
Citation
Sailer, K. and Thomas, M. (2021), "Socio-spatial perspectives on open-plan versus cellular offices", Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 36 No. 4, pp. 382-399. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-10-2019-0556
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited