Knocking on the Imaginary Door: The Impact of an Open-Floor Office in Municipal Government

Abstract

The open-floor office design, with its lack of interior walls and shared communal space, has been frequently studied in private business settings. Few opportunities have been available to study its potential role in municipal government. This article presents a case study of an open-floor office utilized by the mayoral staff of a mid-sized southeastern city. Through semi-structured interviews, staff members’ accounts revealed a negotiated order involving “tuning in” to the environment but also enacting temporary buffers between themselves and the office as well. The implications of open space for workgroup collaboration are addressed.