Longitudinal Effects of Activity-Based Flexible Office Design on Teamwork

The transition to an activity-based workplace: Experiences of managers and employees from a sense of coherence perspective in public sector workplaces

BACKGROUND

The Activity-Based Workplace (ABW) is an increasingly popular office design that aims to facilitate new ways of working. Research focusing on the effects of ABWs on various outcomes is growing but there is a lack of studies looking at how managers and employees perceive the transition to ABWs from a salutogenic health-promotion perspective. This study aims to explore how managers and employees experienced a transition period to ABWs through the lens of a sense of coherence.

METHODS

A qualitative design was applied through semi-structured interviews with six managers and focus group interviews with nine employees working in the public sector in Sweden. A content analysis of the interviews was conducted using Aaron Antonovsky's sense of coherence concept, with the three main aspects of comprehensibility, meaningfulness and manageability acting as a theoretical framework for the analysis.

RESULTS

Six sub-categories within the three main SOC categories were identified in the material and considered important to the participants during their transition to the ABW. The sub-categories were divided into facilitating factors and barriers to obtaining a sense of coherence. The identified factors were: information and preparation, clear rules, adaptability, leadership, social relations and health and well-being.

CONCLUSIONS

The analysis showed that the managers and employees were exposed to factors which may have acted as both facilitators and barriers to a sense of coherence during the transition to the ABW. When implementing ABWs, consideration must be given to the facilitators and barriers identified in this study during the transition process. The sense of coherence framework appears valuable for gaining a deeper knowledge of managers' and employees' experiences during the transition to ABW.

Remote work and the COVID-19 pandemic: An artificial intelligence-based topic modeling and a future agenda

As remote work has become more common than ever throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it has drawn special attention from scholars. However, the outcome has been significantly sporadic and fragmented. In our systematic review, we use artificial intelligence-based machine learning tools to examine the relevant extant literature in terms of its dominant topics, diversity, and dynamics. Our results identify-eight research themes: (1) Effect on employees at a personal level, (2) Effect on employees' careers, (3) Family life and gender roles, (4) Health, well-being, and safety, (5) Labor market dynamics, (6) Economic implications, (7) Remote work management, (8) Organizational remote work strategies. With further content analysis, we structure the sporadic research into three overarching categories. Finally, for each category, we offer a detailed agenda for further research.

Conceptualizing the moderating effects between work from home and individual performance - Developing a conceptual framework using the self-determination theory

The working systems of organizations/institutions have undergone continuous transformations over the years for various reasons. Researchers have continually strived to find effective solutions/appropriate work systems to sustain an individual's performance in spite of the challenging working/business environment. The global pandemic Covid-19 prompted a rethinking of organizational work practices across sectors. Work from home (WFH) became a key component of continuing the organization's working system. This paper specifies the following six factors that may moderate the effectiveness of a work-from-home setting on individual performance such as dedication, disposition, determination, configuration, collaboration, and coordination. The paper uses self-determination theory (SDT) to develop a conceptual framework for WFH-individual performance, which specifies dedication, disposition, and determination as intrinsic motivators, while configuration, collaboration, and coordination as extrinsic motivators. Moreover, it provides implications and future research directions for theory development and practice.

Eine explorative Untersuchung der Einflüsse von ABW-Büromerkmalen auf die Wahrnehmung der Organisationskultur

Dieser Beitrag der Zeitschrift Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO) untersucht, wie Designmerkmale aktivitätsorientierter Arbeitsumgebungen (activity-based working, ABW) Einfluss auf die Wahrnehmung von Clan-Organisationskulturen nehmen können. Bisherige Forschungsarbeiten haben Designmerkmale selten isoliert von anderen Eigenschaften der physischen Umgebung betrachtet und in Zusammenhang mit Organisationskulturen gestellt. Es wurden halbstrukturierte Interviews mit acht Teilnehmenden aus verschiedenen Organisationen geführt, die eine ABW-Umgestaltung mit Ziel einer hierarchisch flachen Clan-Kulturentwicklung miterlebt haben. Die Mehrheit zuvor berichteter funktionaler und assoziativer Einflüsse auf Clan-Kultur-Indikatoren wie Kommunikation, Zusammenarbeit, Beziehungen, Zugehörigkeit und kollegial-beratende Führungskultur wurden identifiziert. Besonders Unterthemen, wie z. B. dynamische Atmosphäre, fokussierter Austausch, Offenheit und Firmenidentifikation wurden bestätigt oder neu identifiziert. Querschnittsthemen, die funktionale und assoziative Einflussmechanismen vertiefen, waren Zugänglichkeit, Serendipität, psychologische Distanz und Territorialprinzipien. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass die Bürogestaltungsmerkmale auf komplexe Weise mit der Organisationskultur zusammenhängen; die Bürogestaltung scheint die Organisationskultur unterstützen zu können.

To work at home or in the office? Well-being, information flow and relationships between office workers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose

This paper aims to compare employee well-being, information flow and relationships with co-workers and supervisors for people working at home and working in different office types before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

A nationwide study of 2,845 Estonian office workers in autumn 2019 and 2,972 in spring 2020 was carried out.

Findings

It was discovered that in normal circumstances, people at home had similar results to those in a cell office or activity-based office. Open-plan offices were found to be the worst in respect to the facets of work studied. However, in the context of the pandemic, the playing field became more level in some respects and worse in the case of activity-based offices.

Practical implications

When telework is well arranged both in terms of facilities and organising the necessary communication and information flow, then it is a viable alternative to working in an office. What is more, employers need to pay more attention to the physical and social work conditions in open-plan offices and also activity-based offices in the context of a pandemic.

Originality/value

Previous studies have only compared telework with working in an office in general. Comparing working at home with different kinds of offices gives valuable insights.

A review of research in activity-based working over the last ten years: lessons for the post-COVID workplace

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to map and describe findings from research conducted in workspaces designed to support activity-based working (ABW) over the past 10 years (2010–2020) with a view of informing post-COVID workplaces of the positive and negative attributes of ABW.

Design/methodology/approach

Scopus was used as the search engine for this review. Papers which reported findings related to ABW and performed field study in ABW workspaces with adult occupants were included. Out of the 442 initial papers, 40 papers were included following iterative title and abstract and full text review process and consideration of inclusion and exclusion criteria. These papers were divided into three groupings (organizational, human and physical environment) based on their major focus. Positive and negative effects of ABW environments on occupants are discussed within these three topics in consideration of the implications for the post-COVID workplace.

Findings

Although the included studies were inclined to be either more positive (i.e. interior design) or negative (i.e. indoor environmental quality, productivity, distraction and privacy) in relation to various attributes of ABW, no single effect of ABW environments on occupants was in full agreement between the studies. The shortcomings of ABW environments are more related to how this way of working is implemented and how occupants use it, rather than the concept itself. A partial uptake of ABW leads to occupants’ dissatisfaction, lower productivity and lower well-being, while a holistic approach increases the chance of success. It is hypothesised that many currently reported negative aspects of the ABW concept might diminish overtime as ABW evolves and as new challenges arise. A continuous post-occupancy evaluation after relocation to an ABW-supportive environment can inform the organization about the changing needs and preference of the occupants; hence, the organization can tailor the ABW solution to the arising needs. The inter-connection between the three key ABW pillars (organizational, human and physical environment) is crucial to the success of this concept specifically in the context of the post-COVID-19 workplace.

Originality/value

This paper highlights the key shortcomings and limitations of studies produced over the past decade and identifies keys gaps in the current body of literature. It provides a new insight on how findings related to open-plan offices designed to support ABW can be categorized on the three big heading of organizational, physical and human-related aspects, and further investigates the positive and negatives outcomes reported on ABW under these headings. It also discusses how the findings arising from this literature review can inform the post-COVID workplace.

How Does Office Design Support Employees' Health? A Case Study on the Relationships among Employees' Perceptions of the Office Environment, Their Sense of Coherence and Office Design

This study investigated the current design circumstances of an office as well as employees’ perceptions of the office environment in relation to their perceived health, drawing on sense of coherence theory (comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness). Previous studies have related the physical office environment to employee health. However, most studies have focused on alleviating negative effects, while health-promoting potential, including employee sense of coherence, has been overlooked. This study adopted a mixed method case study approach, combining semi-structured interviews with employees, structured observations, and analysis of architectural drawings. The results indicated that employees’ perceptions did not always align with the ideas behind the architectural design and that employees understood the environment differently. The study also highlighted the interrelations (and contradictions) among the different components of sense of coherence. The findings imply that organizations may need to prioritize which components of coherence should be supported most by the office environment. It also suggests that case-specific design aspects should play a more central role in studying and conceptualizing healthy office design and that design solutions should be continuously modified during the use phase, while ensuring employees’ participation. The study concluded that an ‘ideal’ office environment should not be the goal. Instead, office design should provide an environment in which employees are able to cope with challenges in comprehensible, manageable and meaningful ways.

Productivity, Satisfaction, Work Environment and Health after Relocation to an Activity-Based Flex Office-The Active Office Design Study

Implementation of activity-based flex offices (AFOs) are becoming increasingly common. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of an AFO on perceived productivity, satisfaction, work environment and health. Questionnaire data from the longitudinal, quasi-experimental Active Office Design Study was used. The study evaluates a public organization relocating staff to either an AFO or to cell offices. Measures from baseline, 6 and 18 months after relocation, were analyzed. Employees in the AFO experienced a decreased productivity and satisfaction with the office design. Lack of privacy as well as increased noise disturbance, less satisfaction with sit comfort and work posture were reported. Employees in the AFO with work tasks requiring a high degree of concentration experienced lower productivity while those with a high proportion of teamwork rated productivity to be continually high. No significant group differences were found between the two office types in general health, cognitive stress, salutogenic health indicators or pain in the neck, shoulder or back. The study highlights the importance of taking work characteristics into account in the planning and implementation process of an AFO. Flexible and interactive tasks seem more appropriate in an AFO, whereas individual tasks demanding concentration seem less fit.

Activity-based working: Qualitative analysis of working conditions and health-related outcomes

BACKGROUND

The changing of work, driven by digitization, leads to the demand of large, open spaces in which the employees can work alone or in teams, can hold meetings or even find corners to relax.

OBJECTIVE

This study empirically analyzed job demands and resources that can be found in innovative office concepts, like so called "activity-based working concepts".

METHODS

16 semi-structured face-to-face interviews were performed with employees working in activity-based offices. Content of the interviews included questions on their working conditions and health-related outcomes.

RESULTS

The results show that work autonomy, the flexibility to decide where and when to work, and an improved communication and collaboration between different departments had a perceived positive effect on well-being, performance and motivation. Job demands, like missing territoriality on individual and team level, limited privacy and distractions in form of noise and interruptions describe consequences in form of perceived strain.

CONCLUSION

The study results contribute to the expansion of knowledge in the subject area of flexible work arrangements in open work spaces. They can serve to design future working environments and thus increase the well-being and job performance of employees. It needs additional research to investigate the effects of office designs on the health of employees in the long term.

Activity-based flexible offices: effects on work-related outcomes in a longitudinal study

A recent popular trend in office re-design is the activity-based flexible office (A-FO). Initially, assumptions about the effects of A-FOs were drawn from research into open-plan offices where lack of privacy, concentration opportunities, and an increase in distractions are identified as main downsides. These aspects have not been explored sufficiently in the context of A-FOs. Using a longitudinal within-subjects design with three measurement times, we focussed on analysing the change in distraction after moving to an A-FO, how distraction-affected important work-related outcomes, and what factors moderated these relationships. Results showed that moving to the A-FO had negative effects on distraction, work engagement, job satisfaction, and fatigue. The negative effects of distraction were more pronounced in situations of increased time pressure and unpredictability. The obtained results highlight the harmful effects of the interaction of work stressors for employees' motivation and well-being. Practitioner summary: The results of our research provide important insight into how moving to an activity-based flexible office impacts the employees. Besides having quiet zones for concentrated work to avoid distractions managers and leaders should also focus on taking care of work stressors to avoid fatigue and loss of motivation.

Sense of Coherence, Health, Well-Being, and Work Satisfaction before and after Implementing Activity-Based Workplaces

Activity-based workplaces (ABWs) are implemented with possible implications for health, well-being, and work satisfaction in the workplace. Drawing on the theoretical framework, i.e., sense of coherence (SOC), the aim was to investigate how indicators pf SOC-meaningfulness, manageability and comprehensibility-are associated with, or function as barriers or facilitators for, health, well-being and work satisfaction during relocation to an ABW. We followed the implementation of ABWs at the Swedish Transport Administration (2018-2019). Questionnaires were administered before (n = 536), 3 months (n = 409) and 9 months (n = 373) after relocation. Focus group interviews (15) were conducted before and after. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and content analysis. Relocation to an ABW was associated with a reduced work satisfaction (physical p < 0.001; psychosocial p < 0.001), and minor changes in health and occupational well-being during relocation (p > 0.001). The reduction in work satisfaction was smaller among employees with high meaningfulness in the relocation process (p < 0.001). All SOC indicators were positively associated with overall health, well-being and work satisfaction (p < 0.001). Interviews suggested that meaningfulness was facilitated by participation in the presented activities and that communication before relocation was crucial. The results indicate that organizations implementing ABWs should promote perceived meaningfulness in the process to mitigate possible declines in satisfaction with the physical and psychosocial work environment.