<p>Preparing a dissertation, I would be interested in finding studies/articles concerning work conditions in open space offices.</p>

<p>Regarding what is expected and advocated by the benefits, I would currently hypothesize that this environment has a negative impact on long-term individual motivation, and it is more difficult to concentrate and to avoid preemption.
If I find some clues in this direction, my first and current plan would be something like:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>The benefits wanted by companies in terms of group:</p>

<ul>
<li>Team cohesion</li>
<li>Fluidity of communication (see theory of information processing) and knowledge sharing</li>
<li>Motivation (by collective emulation and cohesion and/or better hierarchical surveillance)</li>
</ul></li>
<li><p>Disadvantages</p>

<ul>
<li>Leveling / erasing of people (intrinsic individual characteristics are flattened into a group mean, probably the resulting form of the most influential and extrovert behaviors)</li>
<li>Distraction: a single person can create a unplanned meeting (whatever personal/professional topics) or a game (for example starting throwing a single soft ball) that will degenerate into massive service interruption (because nobody is really in charge of that, and hierarchy may think it is part of cohesion)</li>
<li>Insecurity* and lack of autonomy, loosing ability to create a personal space of withdrawal)
(* in this context, insecurity would be related to this quotes "These openings would foster a sense of insecurity related to the failure to exercise a comfortable grip on his/her personal space/sphere, especially in some situations where the distance with the hierarchical instance is lower." translated from one of my book)</li>
</ul></li>
</ol>

<p>Particularly, and for now, I would be interested by reading researchers that may have studied directly or indirectly any of:</p>

<ul>
<li>open space drawbacks</li>
<li>productivity (before/after comparison)</li>
<li>knowledge sharing before/after (before/after comparison)</li>
<li>intimacy feeling/private sphere respect before/after (before/after comparison)</li>
<li>concentration/focus (before/after comparison)</li>
<li>spontaneous criticisms in small "human sized" desk (3-4 persons) versus "keep it for me" and have bad feelings concerning troublemakers because it may be herder to spot a problem in front of a bigger audience</li>
<li>accumulated distraction moments (before/after comparison)</li>
<li>etc.</li>
</ul>

<p>I have some books in my native language but they are not related directly to these questions, and I find it hard to get some English literature.</p>

<p>Could you suggest some pointers or books or methodology on how you would find such articles ?</p>

<p>Thanks,</p>

<social-psychology><io-psychology>
Intrapersonal drawbacks of landscaped open spaces
user1556814
# Intrapersonal drawbacks of landscaped open spaces

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-12-16)

Preparing a dissertation, I would be interested in finding studies/articles concerning work conditions in open space offices.

Regarding what is expected and advocated by the benefits, I would currently hypothesize that this environment has a negative impact on long-term individual motivation, and it is more difficult to concentrate and to avoid preemption.
If I find some clues in this direction, my first and current plan would be something like:

1. The benefits wanted by companies in terms of group:

   * Team cohesion
   * Fluidity of communication (see theory of information processing) and knowledge sharing
   * Motivation (by collective emulation and cohesion and/or better hierarchical surveillance)
2. Disadvantages

   * Leveling / erasing of people (intrinsic individual characteristics are flattened into a group mean, probably the resulting form of the most influential and extrovert behaviors)
   * Distraction: a single person can create a unplanned meeting (whatever personal/professional topics) or a game (for example starting throwing a single soft ball) that will degenerate into massive service interruption (because nobody is really in charge of that, and hierarchy may think it is part of cohesion)
   * Insecurity\* and lack of autonomy, loosing ability to create a personal space of withdrawal)
     (\* in this context, insecurity would be related to this quotes "These openings would foster a sense of insecurity related to the failure to exercise a comfortable grip on his/her personal space/sphere, especially in some situations where the distance with the hierarchical instance is lower." translated from one of my book)

Particularly, and for now, I would be interested by reading researchers that may have studied directly or indirectly any of:

* open space drawbacks
* productivity (before/after comparison)
* knowledge sharing before/after (before/after comparison)
* intimacy feeling/private sphere respect before/after (before/after comparison)
* concentration/focus (before/after comparison)
* spontaneous criticisms in small "human sized" desk (3-4 persons) versus "keep it for me" and have bad feelings concerning troublemakers because it may be herder to spot a problem in front of a bigger audience
* accumulated distraction moments (before/after comparison)
* etc.

I have some books in my native language but they are not related directly to these questions, and I find it hard to get some English literature.

Could you suggest some pointers or books or methodology on how you would find such articles ?

Thanks,

**Tags:** social-psychology, io-psychology


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## 0 answers

