The question of workspace is always tied to your workplace culture-> Chances are such experiments in layout/structure won’t work without honest input from your team. Could some of the folks on your team, Shawn, have seen such complications coming before this was even implemented? Was your group receptive to feedback/changes after the initial set-up?

We here at Winning Workplaces deal often with org’s finding great success with open communication, open books, and open workspaces. And it’s a custom fit every time- you’ve got to know your people. Not everyone can handle the open layout. Not everyone needs it.

But, in addition to the creative/innovative environment such an approach might foster in certain industries, often the biggest payoff is in terms of employee retention.

Top-talent will go where they’re happy and most productive. Being selective and honest in your hiring process will help ensure a good fit… There’s not much that can hold back a team of passionate, focused associates who are comfortable and engaged on a daily basis.

Jason Ticus
Special Projects Coordinator
http://www.winningworkplaces.org

*We’re blogging about workplace topics at:
http://blog.winningworkplaces.org/blog/employee-engagement

Interesting you should mention the “cool and trendy” part, because I was wondering that myself. But I’d like to believe that more often than not, it’s about improving the quality of work. You’re right, though, that there should be a happy medium, because I bet many other companies are experiencing the same challenges your office did.

I work at an office where the company incorporated an open working space for its creative teams. The reason behind it was to spur creativity and foster a collaborative environment. All good stuff. And in contrast to some of the employee comments made in reaction to the Miami Herald article, the idea here was actually brought to the company by its employees, not its management teams, as a positive change.

Although the change brought cheer to the employees in the space, sadly productivity went down. Way down. The team started missing even the simplest of deadlines. There was just too much collaboration. But it wasn’t even valuable collaboration. It was groupthink at its worst. Suddenly there was no individualism. It was impossible to ask something of anyone without getting an answer from the whole team. Meaning everyone stopped what they were doing each time an “outsider” came into the department. And don’t even get me started on the non-work chatter.

Now, I’m not saying collaboration is bad. There are strengths in teams and often the best results come from a group effort. As a manager of a team, I get that. However, removing walls and making it one step easier to get involved in your neighbor’s business doesn’t seem like the best answer. There has to be a happy medium between cubes/offices and open work spaces.