In Open Workplaces, Traffic and Head Count Matter

Research supports all sides of the debate over the merits of open workplaces: An MIT study finds that a wall-free office plan increases face-to-face communication among workers; a study at Stanford demonstrates the opposite; and a third study reports no effect. My research suggests that these studies disagree in part because other factors are in […]

by

James B. Stryker

by

James B. Stryker

From the Magazine (December 2009)

Summary.

Reprint: F0912C

Face-to-face team communication thrives when employees’ cubicles are located along main routes of circulation and near a variety of informal gathering spots.

Research supports all sides of the debate over the merits of open workplaces: An MIT study finds that a wall-free office plan increases face-to-face communication among workers; a study at Stanford demonstrates the opposite; and a third study reports no effect.

A version of this article appeared in the December 2009 issue of Harvard Business Review.

JS

James B. Stryker (jbs3@stmarys-ca.edu) teaches in the MBA program at Saint Mary’s College of California in Moraga.

In Open Workplaces, Traffic and Head Count Matter

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