Open Work Space Research Essay

The Study Recently in the solve lay, thither seems to be a shift from this traditional cubicle style to a more than have surroundings for the employees. This shift has me questioning why atomic number 18 advanced(a) companies shifting towards this more open milieu? It seems that these companies ar looking non only for a change in scenery, scarce a change in the how there employees utilize the environment.During this study, I will substance abuse a design of sources in order to reckon a comma NYSE hammer space environment and early(a) information pertaining the architectural picture of a company. The questions especially want to explore atomic number 18 How does the open tendspace effect the collaboration between employees? How does this work space attempt to nurture an environment for creativity and innovation? Informational Sources The sources have used ranged from a variety of displaces.The information I collected from Kidders studio apartment and Kramer e xcogitation Group was a large group call into question which was required for a summer class where we studied cultures of creativity in Detroit, Michigan. These two interviews took place on August 24, 2013. The large group interview overly included a tour of both companies to in reality see the working environment firsthand. Field nones were also taken to help record detailed descriptions of the environment at both companies. Another source used for this explore included an online magazine called 991. . This magazine publishes research in a condensed and easy to understand format for the general public. It described research on how to mannequin a cooperative work space. I read this to help better my understanding of what a collaborative work space might look like and what re tightly fitting to key components for a fictive work space. Also watched a video created by Wall Street Journal on Googles innovative York work space because, have neer been there. This video allowe d me to visually see the environment where Google employees work.Another source apply was a prCICS completed from an article called Building Research and Information. It included research done in this empyrean which helped me orient myself with prior research already completed on this topic. Previous Research Completed on Work Space Environment One research prCICS I looked at included the importance of collaboration in the work space. They looked at three behaviors that contribute to effective collaboration awargonness, brief interaction, and collaboration (working to get hold ofher) (Hearing, Compromisers, Powell, and Loftiness, par. 2).This confines aw areness means to understand what is going on in the environment almost you. You are fitting to process this through with(predicate) spatial features that promote awareness and organizational factors that allow you to see other employees (Hearing, Compromisers, Powell, and Loftiness, pars. 4-5). They state Some benefits to t his high awareness Were rapid information sharing and ability to recognize when other employees were struggling Hearing, Compromisers, Powell, and Loftiness, par. 6). tho there are around concerns for high awareness in a collaborative environment also.It gouge be distracting, noisy from employees talking, and create a loss of privacy for the workers (Hearing, Compromisers, Powell, and Loftiness, par. 7). Another term hash outed was brief interactions which means ad hoc and short discussions you have with other employees. This results in spatial features that promote interaction and organizational factors that allow you to make a motion into other employees (Hearing, Compromisers, Powell, and Loftiness, pars. 9-10). Some benefits include improved information flow, increased learning, and increased development Of friendships (Hearing, Compromisers, Powell, and Loftiness, par. 1). There are, how ever, some drawbacks which include a high potential for stress, an increase in distra ctions, and the potential for over communicating with employees (Hearing, Compromisers, Powell, and Loftiness, par. 12). The other term discussed in the prCICS was collaboration. Collaboration in the work space brook result in organizational factors that allow employees to work in project rooms (Hangmen, Compromisers, Powell, and Loftiness, ears. 18-19). Some benefits from these project rooms are quick answers, access to other team members, and better project tracking (Hearing, Compromisers, Powell, and Loftiness, par. 0). Despite these benefits, there are some concerns including the possibility for information overload, a shorter sum total of time on certain tasks, and less privacy for employees (Hearing, Compromisers, Powell, and Loftiness, par. 21). Evaluating Google and 2 Outside Innovative Companies Google is the company which typifies an open work space concept. However, I needed to use Kidders Studio and Kramer Design Group in Detroit, Michigan because they were local and accessible. Both of these companies were much smaller than Google.However, there are innovative and utilize the open work space concept. Google is known for their web search engine and turn in to make information easily accessible to the users. The Google New York campus occupies an entire floor and parts of other floors in a make covering an entire city block in Manhattans Chelsea neighborhood (Alter, par. 7). This campus has grown from around 2,000 employees to go aboutly 3,000 and hiring in the areas of media and advertising (Jordan). Due to the arrival of additional employees, the newly hired have had to instigate from floor to floor (Jordan).In this campus as opposed to te Valley, it is less tech focused and reach outs the employees a more natural working environment (Jordan). Googles competitive and innovative nature attracts legion(predicate) young employees to their company. Despite Googles large benefits, there is still a high turnover rate, which means they have a limited amount of time with their employees. Kidders Studio is an innovative company which is a part Of the creative community in Detroit, Michigan. Since 1 959, Kidders Studio has earned a beat fitting name for solving problems with designs.They started off-key solving problems by plan logos for the automotive companies in Detroit. In 201 1, Kidders moved to their new location on Broadway Street near the Detroit Tigers Stadium. Their diverse team of 25 place employees design logos and websites for advertisements, but their goal is to create the wonderworking (Patrick). They started with 16 employees and are looking to expand to 35 employees. Some of their biggest clients are Dave and Busters, Detroit Tigers, and Andiron Restaurant. At Kramer Design Group in Detroit, they specialize in conception the inside(prenominal)s of buildings.There are about 18 to 28 lot that work at the world power, because there are only 28 desks available. When they work with their clients, they f ocus on creating a particular environment in order to invoke a certain feeling (Kramer). They strive for audience to the client. However, sometimes the client does not know what they want until you show it to them. This company provides swatches of materials to help visualize the intersection or prototype built. They are known for creating traditional architecture, hotels, and presidential lofts. They have completed such projects in Detroit like theMadison Building, Broodier Towers, and Whitney Building (Kramer). Kramer Design Group is starting to dispel up some business end-to-end the state. Kramer Design Group and Kidders Studio Work Space Company ices are redesigning regions in order to get a more spacious working environment for their employees. This open work space is intended to foster creativity and innovation. Designing a place to rise creativity takes a lot of work not only on the companies half, but on the architects half as well. It is important the architect works in collaboration with their client to create a specific environment.In this case, the architect needs to create an environment that is not only functional to the employees, but pleasing to the customer. Open office spaces seem to fuel this creativity through the collaboration of diverse groups of people, the flexibility of the work space, and the atmosphere of the room with numerous examples from Detroit, Machines Kidders Studio and Kramer Design Group. A key component to this creativity and innovation is allowing the mixture of diverse groups of people to work together in an open area.To define diverse, this word is meant to describe how individuals with various job titles and functions can ark cohesively together. Providing people an open environment encourages unaffixed connections to be made and ideas to be bounced off one another (Patrick). For example, at Kidders Studio, their work place fosters an environment where colleagues can collaborate with each other (Patrick). The st udio is set up with no doors on any of the offices, even the Coos office. Over the years, the company has developed this process to be successful.During their meetings, they encourage administrative workers, designers, marketers, and writers to insight ideas for projects (Patrick). These brainstorming sessions involve everyone in the company to work on a project where titles mean energy (Patrick). Sometimes, disagreement can be a bad thing. But it has become a useful turncock because, it encourages ideas to be explored and defended by the creator (Patrick). The end result is a better thought out ascendant which provides the customer with an outstanding product.Creating flexibility in the work space seems to be another crucial constituent which allows this creativity and innovation to flourish. Kramer Design Group utilizes the portability and disability of the room to create an environment where creativity is maximized. The movable chairs in the lunch space allow the user to re arrange the space. The emphasis on designing a flexible work space allows people to freely converse amongst one another (Kramer). It also gives the workers an environment which allows easy access to coworkers (Kramer).Some of the offices have glass walls to give the illusion of a more open space (Kramer). One thing that stands out is there are few private offices. Private offices close workers off from the company and do not allow for ideas to be exchanged while the open spaces help go creativity. In an open space, the atmosphere plays an important role in the minimization of creativity and innovation. Kramer Design Groups office is designed with a level of sophistication and professionalism to illustrate their knowledge in the design field (Kramer).The bit you step into the office, it is meant to create a feeling bigger than meets the eye. There is wall to wall glass to give an expansive feeling to the area and it makes the ceiling appear taller (Kramer). In the hallway, there ar e columns spaced affect distances apart and a white strip on the carpet to give the illusion of a never ending hall (Kramer). Even the lighting plays into the comfortable ambiance of the room with their modern looking lights which use some incandescent lighting. Their office provides a creative, yet comfortable environment.It allows their employees to think freely in the office with the respect of their fellow colleagues. Googles Innovative Design Googles New York campus has a similar goal in their office design like Kidders Studio and Kramer Design Group. All of the design is meant to encourage interaction between structurally separate teams (Jordan). By implementing this open work space, it influences the way groups of Googles collaborate. Googles intention by using an open work space is to create an environment specifically for the interaction between the workers.A fun design plan Googles architects implemented is the vertical race chutes between floors, because the elevators a re never known to be on time. This vertical ladder chute promotes unplanned collaborations (Alter, par. 7). Another touch Google added was giving the employees a bag to place their laptop in while climbing up the ladder (Jordan). This bag helped Googles minimize the chance of dropping their laptops. When workers causally intermingle, it encourages informal connections to be made among colleagues. Senior software engineer, Mike Labels moved from Googles Silicon Valley to Googles New York campus.At Googles Silicon Valley, their offices are created as an individual place with their own unique perks and specific design, which help the worker partake to their environment Road). Since Labels has transferred to Googles New York office, he feels that coming to work here you will not mistake you are in some room at an ordinary building you will know you are at Google in New York (Jordan). It seems Googles New York office has created their own city within their building. Even some of their host rooms are designed as a New York apartment to create a close environment for colleagues to collaborate within.Directly outside these conference rooms, it is setup like city with a fire hydrant, thermionic vacuum tube grates on the floor, and a narrow hallway with a cityscape on the wall (Jordan). This use of schematics throughout areas of their building makes it seem like the real New York City outside of the building. Collaboration is a hefty thing, but too much can also be a bad thing sometimes. There are many places to get away from the hustle and bustle of the office area. These areas include a reflecting room, a library, a private hone booth, and more. The library is dotted with Victorian photos from Star Wars hanging on the walls (Jordan).There are also secret door bookcases leading to refection or reading rooms (Jordan). Throughout the library are many books to help employees on coding, programming and working with different types of computers (Jordan). One of the cool est features is the virtual wall of books where employees can transfer books to their phones (Jordan). Theses rooms are meant to give the workers a place to escape to when they get stressed at work. Google jobs can cause high stress because Of all the work demands. They can stop by the library and pick out a book or even download one from the virtual wall.By creating this comfortable environment, it gives the employees a place to relieve their stress. Regional facilities manager, Laura Gimped mentioned with groups growing in Google how proprieties and juxtaposition effect the workers interactions (loran). Laura understands generally information and ideas are shared with co-workers who are nearby. This is part of the reason that Google has positioned their offices no more than 150 feet away from food to enhance informal interactions between its employees. So at any office location there s a micro-kitchen, a restaurant, or cafeteria nearby.This place encourages fellow Googles to go g rab a bite to eat whenever and where ever they may be in the building (Jordan). Their set up enables employees to bump into coworkers from different teams within the work space (Alter, par. 8). She has taken into account the growth of the company with an eye towards this idea of casual collision in the work space (Jordan). This allows fellow Googles to have the opportunity to discuss an idea with someone they normally do not work with (Jordan). Some of the greatest ideas are chirk upd from unexpected inventions between people.Findings Coming from an architectural background has enabled me to see rooms differently from other people. However, after this research, I was able to look at a room and see the choices and decisions the architect had to make in designing the room. For example, their placement of furniture, walls, doors and windows in a room plays a critical role in how the work space is used. The way an architect designs a room rattling plays an important role for what the customer in the end wants. Each of the companies I research ultimately had a similar goal through using the open work space concept.Kidders goals was to create the awful through logos and design. Their office design fostered their employees to be creative. Kramer Design Group specialized in interior designing. Their open work space also did the same by providing their employees with a creative environment. Both of these places were designed, so the employees interacted regularly in order to get their ideas. Through my research even though did not actually visit, Google, the above examples helped me visualize what I could not see at Google. I have come to greater appreciate the open work space concept and its purpose atGoogle is to maximize its employees creativity. Through my research on open work spaces at Google, I have come to understand the choices the architects had to make while designing Googles New York office. They choose to design the environment with many unique feature s to enhance the collaboration between employees. I have now come to see that through creating an open work space it results in good ideas from employees. Essentially, these good ideas are able to be obtained through creating these unexpected conversations and casual collisions. This new understanding can help companies understand ways to obtain ideas from their employees.Through creating this type of environment similar to Google, companies will be able to design an environment to maximize the productivity of workers. Conclusion Google is known as the gold standard for innovation and creativity. Their architects have used the open work space to help them achieve this goal. Through the design of the open work space, Googles from different teams or backgrounds bump into each other casually throughout the day. The intent is for these Googles to discuss an idea with someone they may not work with daily. This chance interaction may be the accelerator pedal for a new and creative idea.T his new open work space approach is intended to inspire its employees and support creativity where new ideas can be developed and new discoveries made. Further Questions If another research paper was completed, it may be raise to see how other innovative companies like Apple, Paxar, and Twitter are set up in regards to their work space design. It would be interesting to see how these companies layout their work space, because there could be similar correlations to how their employees collaborate like Google. In order to answer this question, you would need to look at the interactions between the errors of the company.Since work spaces are always being remodeled by companies, it would be interesting to track innovative companies over the next five year to see how their work space changed over time. It would be exemplar to interview employees throughout the change of the work space to see how it has effected them. It may be interesting to also speak to the management to determine wh ether there were more ideas generated in the newer work space than in the current type work space. This could help understand the reason behind why companies design a creative environment for their workers.