Organizational Behaviour and the Physical Environment

Oluremi B Ayoko,Neal M Ashkanasy

doi:10.4324/9781315167237

Abstract

This book looks at how the physical environment of work shapes organizational behaviour, demonstrating that our physical surroundings at work can have a big influence on employee productivity, performance and wellbeing. Drawing upon the latest research, Organizational Behaviour and the Physical Environment provides comprehensive coverage of the different aspects of the physical environment at work – the buildings, furnishings, equipment, lighting, air quality and their configurations. From theories of psychological ownership and work design, to cultural issues and technology in the workplace, its international range of contributors provide voices from Australasia, North America, Europe and the Middle East. This book will be invaluable supplementary reading for advanced students, researchers and practitioners across the fields of organizational behaviour, HRM, organizational and environmental psychology, and workspace design.

Highlights

SocioTechnical Systems Thinking is presented as a theoretical framework to guide holistic workspace design
The physical environments in which people work have long been acknowledged as playing a key role in helping to shape, constrain and promote a range of behavioral and organizational outcomes – from creativity to wellbeing, performance to communication, job satisfaction to sick leave (Bodin Danielsson, Chungkham, Wulff, & Westerlund, 2014; Davis, Leach, & Clegg, 2011)
Corporate, and academic interest in the effects that office environments in particular may have upon their occupants has grown since the widespread emergence of ‘open-plan’ offices in the 1960s (Brookes & Kaplan, 1972) and the subsequent complaints from workers regarding these environments (e.g., Business Week, 1978)

Summary

Introduction

The physical environments in which people work have long been acknowledged as playing a key role in helping to shape, constrain and promote a range of behavioral and organizational outcomes – from creativity to wellbeing, performance to communication, job satisfaction to sick leave (Bodin Danielsson, Chungkham, Wulff, & Westerlund, 2014; Davis, Leach, & Clegg, 2011). The Problem of Top-Down Design and the Prioritization of Efficiencies Traditionally many office environments have been designed based upon generic assumptions regarding the needs of workers (Kaarlela-Tuomaala, Helenius, Keskinen, & Hongisto, 2009) or as a result of decision making primarily aimed around “efficient” use of space (Duffy, 2000; Vischer, 2005) This is reflected in the rise and ubiquitous nature of open-plan office formats – introduced with the aim of reducing barriers to communication and increasing information flows (De Croon, Sluiter, Kuijer, & Frings-Dresen, 2005), popularized through the significant financial savings they delivered (Davis et al, 2011; Laing, 2006). Key Socio-Technical Systems Principles Applied to Workspace Design Various sets of ‘principles’ to guide the design of socio-technical systems or to evaluate and explain their performance (success, maladaptation or failure), have been proposed, based upon observation and analysis of system design and redesign in various contexts (e.g., Cherns, 1976, 1987; Clegg, 2000; Mumford, 1983) These principles provide a well-established framework to approach the process of workspace design, promoting holistic design and stakeholder engagement.

Open Systems Perspective

Organizational Choice

Controlling Problems at Source

Boundary Location and Information Flows

Congruence and Support

Quality of Life and Experience at Work

User Participation and Ownership

Design is Open-Ended