Most of these interviews are about open space
offices. Knowing how easy it is for journalists to misinterpret
what you say in interviews I have always demanded to read the
articles for content before publications and mostly they have given
a good interpretation of what I have said. At some occasions
however the journalist have had an own agenda in communicating that
open space offices are dysfunctional, bad environments or even
dangerous as work places. After some discussions it has mostly been
possible to correct these incorrect quotes.
It is important to state that I do not have a
general preference for open space offices or cellular offices or
any other design or configuration of office space. My message is
always that people need both space for communication/interaction
and space for concentration. Cellular offices makes it possible to
concentrate but are mostly an obstacle for communication and
learning and open space offices give plenty of opportunities for
interaction with others and mostly also give great opportunities
for creativity and learning, but is less suitable for such
activities that need silence, consent ration and maybe isolation.
So, my point is that the design of office space always should take
its point of departure in the work situation, the preferences of
staff and always give opportunities for both interaction and
concentration.
It is therefore interesting to see that too many
of the headlines to the interviews suggest that I am against open
space offices. And, they pretend to quote me to communicate a
negative view on open space offices. There are head lines like:
"Professor warns against open space offices!" or "Staff get
burnt out in open space offices!".
The result of this is that other journals and
newpapers quote this and also some BLOGs discuss open space offices
taking the fake quotes as facts when discussing open space offices.
The problem with this is that the readers get the wrong input in
discussions of office design and get the impression that a good
office design is simply about open or not open space offices.
