The role of switching frequency, task variety and motivation in activity-based working: When does the switch fit?

Abstract

Activity-Based Working (ABW) is an emergent trend in organizations. It concerns a nonterritorial type of workspace, where employees are supposed to switch between a variety of workstations tailored to fit their needs during their various work activities. Despite the potential benefits of ABW (e.g., space efficiency), outcomes for ABW office users (e.g., satisfaction with the workspace) are rather mixed. We argue that this may be due to the fact that research on ABW fails to take the psychological perspective into account when studying the situational and personal conditions which can help employees to make good use of the ABW offices. Based on person−environment fit theory and self-determination theory, we argue that employees who frequently switch workstations may experience a better fit between their needs and the workplaces ABW offers, thus reporting not only higher satisfaction with the workspace, but also higher performance, and higher work engagement. However, we expect these relations to be conditional upon the variety in employees’ work situation and their personal motivation to switch. The results of our study, based on a sample of 206 employees, supported a significant three-way interaction among switching frequency, task variety, and autonomous motivation to switch on perceived need−space fit and related outcomes. Based on our findings, we provide suggestions how organizations can efficiently modernize their buildings according to the ABW concept, for the benefit of employees and organizations alike.