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IT must not be left exclusively to the United States, her native land, to pay tribute to Dr. Lillian M. Gilbreth on the occasion of her eightieth birthday. Her work in applying…
Abstract
IT must not be left exclusively to the United States, her native land, to pay tribute to Dr. Lillian M. Gilbreth on the occasion of her eightieth birthday. Her work in applying science to the problem of increasing productivity deserves the gratitude of us all, since it has affected the economy of all industrial countries and contributed substantially to the higher standard of life which is now enjoyed.
“I can't make your drat time on this machine” or “It's all very well you standing there—you don't have to put up with this drat heat hour after hour”, typical comments which you…
Abstract
“I can't make your drat time on this machine” or “It's all very well you standing there—you don't have to put up with this drat heat hour after hour”, typical comments which you, the work study technician, are continuously confronted with on the shop floor. And this is probably because the operator is trying to get even. Your apparent indifference while the study was taking place released all his pent up feelings about watches, work study, factory environment, pay, bonus and what have you.
Suvi Päivikki Nenonen and Goran Lindahl
The purpose of this paper is to describe, discuss and analyze forerunner cases from three different decades in workplace concept development in Sweden and Finland and discuss the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe, discuss and analyze forerunner cases from three different decades in workplace concept development in Sweden and Finland and discuss the transformation over time to better facilitate management of office development and disseminate Nordic experiences.
Design/methodology/approach
The reflecting paper is discussing the development of workplace concepts. It is based on case studies collected from 1980s to the new millennium. The reflection is based on the perspective of Nordic culture. The characteristics of the Nordic culture used in the paper are low power distance and individualism.
Findings
The evolution from “office as a city” to “city as an office” has taken place in both countries and Nordic cultural values have provided fruitful platform for them. However, the layer of organizational culture in the studied workplaces also has an impact on the development and implication of the concepts.
Research limitations/implications
The selection of case studies is limited to two Nordic countries only. The comparison of all five Nordic countries could increase the understanding of Nordic culture and similarities and differences between the countries. The study could be deepened by a more thorough literature review including not only Nordic but also European cases.
Practical implications
The dilemma of management when designing workspaces for the changing world is in that individuals increasingly choose where to work, when, with whom and how. Facilitating that freedom of choice is a balancing act in modern workspace design where people is a scarcer resource than space. It requires an active management that sees their facilities as a part of their system not as a costly box top put it in.
Social implications
Easy access seems to be the key to the workspace of the future when decision power shifts from organizations to individuals. Simultaneously, individuals need to take more and more responsibility and action to get their job done: the cases illustrate how this has been done and that the integration and interaction between office concepts and office work will need to be on business agendas.
Originality/value
The perspective of Nordic workplace concept development from 1980s provide the material for future development, without an understanding of the past one cannot understand the future.
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Mohammad M. Foroudi, John M.T. Balmer, Weifeng Chen and Pantea Foroudi
How organizations view, value and manage their place architecture in relation to identification and corporate identity has received little research attention. The main goal of…
Abstract
Purpose
How organizations view, value and manage their place architecture in relation to identification and corporate identity has received little research attention. The main goal of this paper is to provide an integrative understanding of the relationships between corporate identity, place architecture, and identification from a multi-disciplinary approach. It is assumed that the characteristics of the organization and of the way a corporate identity and place architecture are managed will affect employees’ and consumers’ identification.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses a theory-building case study within the phenomenological/qualitative research tradition. The data were gathered through 15 in-depth interviews with top management who were working at a London-Based Business School. In addition, six focus groups were conducted with a total of 36 academics, and new empirical insights are offered. NVivo software was used to gain insight into the various influences and relationships.
Findings
Drawing on one case study, the findings confirm that firms are using the conceptualizations of corporate identity and place architecture, including the leveraging of tangible and intangible forms of consumers’/employees’ identification, toward a university business school. The insights from a single, exploratory, case study might not be generalizable.
Originality/value
The relationships between corporate identity, place architecture and identification have received little research attention and have hardly been studied at all from the perspective of this paper. This paper has value to researchers in the fields of marketing, corporate identity, place architecture, design, as well as professionals involved in managing a company’s architecture. Drawing on the marketing/management theory of identity and architecture alignment, managers and policy advisors should devote attention to each element of the corporate identity and place architecture and ensure that they are meaningful, as well as in dynamic alignment.
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Eunhwa Yang, Catherine Bisson and Bonnie Eaton Sanborn
This paper aims to review the concept and characteristics of coworking space, especially physical and operational characteristics and its objectives. The authors propose three…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review the concept and characteristics of coworking space, especially physical and operational characteristics and its objectives. The authors propose three models of coworking spaces, such as revenue, synergistic and customer contact, which organizations can use as a part of their corporate real estate strategies to build workplace flexibility and resiliency. This paper also addresses research gaps and a research agenda for future research.
Methodology
This paper is a literature review of academic research focusing on coworking spaces. Because of the relatively limited existing academic literature on the topic, industry sources and white papers are also reviewed.
Findings
The authors categorized common threads of the existing literature on coworking spaces to emergence and growth trends, the types of users, the type of work to be completed in these spaces, characteristics of coworking spaces and the desired outcomes of coworking space models. Coworking spaces are expected to grow worldwide because of the increase in knowledge-based economy, the “digital nomad” lifestyle and mobile technologies, however, there is limited research on the relationship between spatial and operational characteristics of coworking spaces and users’ collaboration, social well-being and creativity. No research identified fully articulated the nuanced differences between the types of coworking spaces now found in the real estate ecosystem.
Research limitations
There is limited academic, empirical research focusing on coworking spaces. Thus, the search for literature itself is limited to a small number of papers. Although the authors extended the search to non-academic sources, the conclusion of this study is tentative because of the prematurity of the topic.
Originality/value
This paper urges the identification of research questions, considering the fast growth of coworking spaces and suggests future research directions based on newly proposed models. Industry practitioners, including building owners, managers, coworking space providers and corporate real estate practitioners, can consider using variations of coworking space concepts and characteristics, as they understand the importance of social needs and connectivity among users. By addressing the history of the coworking space as a concept and business model, and updating the types of models to include new coworking spaces, the authors provide further options to industry practitioners as to how to integrate coworking into their real estate.
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Donatella De Paoli, Kirsten Arge and Siri Hunnes Blakstad
The purpose of this paper is to examine what organisational and management practices used in connection with open space flexible offices create business value. It seeks to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine what organisational and management practices used in connection with open space flexible offices create business value. It seeks to identify what consequences this may have for successful real estate practices.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper utilises an inductive case study approach. The international telecom company Telenor has implemented open space flexible offices from top to bottom amongst their 35,000 employees. The case description and analysis is based on secondary data, user evaluations and 20 interviews with middle- and top-level managers across levels and functional departments.
Findings
The case of Telenor reveals that leadership and organizing issues are important, together with work modes and communication technology, for a productive use of work place design. The paper highlights specifically how the open, transparent, flexible office solution creates business value when used with centralised and standardised organisational management systems and a participative, informal leadership culture.
Research limitations/implications
The study is based on one case, so the findings need to be tested across a representative sample of companies.
Practical implications
Managers need to take both organisational and management issues into consideration when implementing new office space design. This challenges also the existing real estate strategies to include the organisational and management issues in their planning.
Originality/value
The originality and value of the paper lies in the analysis and findings of the Telenor case introducing organizational and management perspectives to real estate issues.
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This paper presents a research based analytical model that supports the planning of workspace and to contribute to the discussion on how to achieve efficient work places. The…
Abstract
This paper presents a research based analytical model that supports the planning of workspace and to contribute to the discussion on how to achieve efficient work places. The research behind this paper aims to develop knowledge regarding the planning and design of work places. Through literature studies, case study research and action research projects the paper considers in what way spatial issues matter in organisations. By relating the various aspects of the analytical model it is possible to illustrate how focus and perspectives change during organisational and workspace changes. A need for new professional roles and processes for workplace design is noted. It is argued that the relationship between the organisation and the workspace should be a continuous process of design. The paper contributes to the process of workspace planning by giving a new insight into the traditional aspects of work environmental issues and metaphoric/symbolic qualities. This is useful for external consultants and facilities managers alike.
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Denise B. McCafferty, E.Johan Hendrikse and Gerry E. Miller
Since much of the design work for vessels and offshore installations occurs in countries other than where the vessel may operate or where the installation may be located, it is…
Abstract
Since much of the design work for vessels and offshore installations occurs in countries other than where the vessel may operate or where the installation may be located, it is particularly important that the expected user be considered and accommodated through the design and operational phases of a project.
Within the framework of engineering design and marine operations, this chapter will discuss “soft” issues, such as organizational and line management decisions and personnel selection procedures, as well as “hardware” issues related to design of living and working environments. In particular, the chapter will address how culture should be considered while identifying “user” needs and requirements.
Sandra Brunia and Anca Hartjes‐Gosselink
Personalization and the non‐territorial office seem to be contradicting concepts. It is generally accepted that it is not possible to personalize workplaces in environments where…
Abstract
Purpose
Personalization and the non‐territorial office seem to be contradicting concepts. It is generally accepted that it is not possible to personalize workplaces in environments where no fixed individual workplaces are allocated. However, people seem to have a human need of personalization. Personalization can be done in different ways and for different reasons. Based on a literature review and a qualitative case study at a Dutch governmental organization, the purpose of this paper is to explain why and how personalization occurs in environments where non‐territorial office concepts are introduced.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative interpretative research design, in which literature study, document analysis, observations and talking, and interviews are combined, to understand the actor's perspective and behavior in the non‐territorial office of organization X.
Findings
Conclusions of the study indicate personalization to be a relevant factor for consideration when implementing a non‐territorial office design: when objects are prohibited to personalize your work environment, people seek several additional ways to make the environment familiar and comfortable for them and to mark their identity in the organization.
Research limitations/implications
Access to organization X went via top management, which makes it possible that the position of the independent researcher was not clear to people. The research took place in three months, but not full time. Missing important behaviors is amongst possible consequences for the findings. Since this is one case study, further research is recommended.
Practical implications
Balanced decisions and rules between organizational policy and human needs help the acceptance of own workplace lost in non‐territorial offices.
Originality/value
Personalization is a well‐researched subject; as applied in non‐territorial offices, it is not well researched yet. This research paper suggests that aspects of emotion and psychological need should be considered as well in the development of a non‐territorial office.
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THERE is much criticism of the Government's avowed intention to hive off nationalised industries, either wholly or piecemeal.