Heinzen Mareike, Cacciatori Eugenia, Zoller Frank A, Boutellier Roman
a Faculty of Business and Social Management , University of Applied Sciences Koblenz , Remagen , Germany.
b Faculty of Management, Cass Business School , City, University of London , London , UK.
Ergonomics. 2018 Aug;61(8):1139-1153. doi: 10.1080/00140139.2018.1449254. Epub 2018 Apr 13.
Although several studies have examined the impact of open workspaces, there is still an on-going debate about its advantages and disadvantages. Our paper contributes to this debate by shedding light on three issues: the effect of open workspaces on (1) the flow of communication along and across hierarchical lines; (2) the content of communication; and (3) the specificities of open integrated laboratories. Our findings derive from a longitudinal case in a large pharmaceutical company that has relocated some R&D teams from enclosed to multi-space offices and labs. The relocation has resulted in (a) increased interdisciplinary communication, particularly at lower hierarchical levels, (b) a shift of the location of discussions and the content of conversations and (c) an improved knowledge about expertise distribution. Practitioner Summary: Communication is essential in knowledge-driven organisations. This article examines the impact of a relocation of R&D employees from enclosed to multi-space offices and labs on communication patterns. We explain how the new environment fosters interdisciplinary communication, shifts the location of discussions and increases the knowledge of expertise distribution.
尽管已有多项研究探讨了开放式工作空间的影响，但关于其利弊仍存在持续的争论。我们的论文通过阐明三个问题为这场争论做出了贡献：开放式工作空间对（1）沿层级线和跨层级线的沟通流程；（2）沟通内容；以及（3）开放式综合实验室的特殊性的影响。我们的研究结果来自于一家大型制药公司的纵向案例，该公司已将一些研发团队从封闭式办公室和实验室迁至多空间办公室和实验室。此次搬迁导致（a）跨学科沟通增加，尤其是在较低层级；（b）讨论地点和对话内容的转变；以及（c）对专业知识分布的了解得到改善。从业者总结：沟通在知识驱动型组织中至关重要。本文研究了研发员工从封闭式办公室和实验室迁至多空间办公室和实验室对沟通模式的影响。我们解释了新环境如何促进跨学科沟通、改变讨论地点并增加对专业知识分布的了解。
