From Human Resources Magazine
Vol. 47, No. 9                 

Offices vs. Open Space by Robert J. Grossman                 

Experts agree that there is no one-size-fits-all formula for designing the ideal workplace. However, they fall into two deeply divided camps when it comes to a fundamental aspect of apportioning space: One group proselytizes for a return to private offices, the other promotes completely open offices.

Interestingly, these groups are united in their disdain for what some might consider a compromise position—cubicles, the office environment most commonly used by employers. Currently, an estimated 70 percent of workers spend their time in cubicles.
“They provide pseudo-privacy at best, and are terrible for spontaneous communication,”

Currently, 10 percent of offices are completely barrier-free, with no partitions separating workstations, estimate experts. In these environments, everyone—including the bosses—sits in the open on rollable chairs arranged in clusters or rows in bullpens.

In some workplaces, the private office still reigns as the primary means of allocating space—especially for those higher in the hierarchy. Overall, however, offices are becoming less common as companies squeeze funds from their facilities budgets. But Brill believes that private offices—even small ones—pay dividends for all workers by creating a more productive work environment.

Though privacy is important, Becker believes that promoting collaboration is at the core of good office design. Becker’s studies reveal that workers spend most of their time with their teams and go to private places only as needed.

As a result, he recommends a series of small-scale four- to eight-person “war rooms” or team offices. They can be in a room fully enclosed or clustered in a larger space. “There are times when someone needs total privacy, but no one works eight hours a day in the total concentration mode. You work in spurts; so you need to have the chance to get privacy when you need it.”

He cites a University of Michigan study in which two teams of software developers at Ford Motors were separated. One team was given private offices, the other assigned to war rooms. The group in the war rooms was twice as productive.

Workers’ near-universal call for more privacy is an example. In surveys, workers’ No. 1 complaint is lack of privacy; the top request is for a private office, no matter how small.

Grousing about privacy, however, often is a smoke screen. Such complaints sometimes involve nothing more than status. “We’re working in an environment where vice presidents have been moved out of their private offices,” Becker says. “They feel they’ve been devalued. But it’s easier for them to complain about the noise than to admit to their real sentiments.”

“Creative tension can be healthy,” Becker says. “People who are asked about privacy usually respond from a personal perspective. Even if a private office would make them more productive, it’s not always the best option. When people discover that a hindrance of their personal productivity may help the team move along, they tend to accept the open office.”