CUBICLE COURTESY

Cultural and organizational implications of today’s offices

or best practices leading to cubicle bliss

Colleen Bolton & Ginger LeverNovember 2006

• Welcome & Introductions• Who we are• Why we are here

– Preparing students for their futures– Creating “flow” and productive environments

History of the Modern Office• Today more than 60% of white-collar

workers, 40 million Americans work in cubicles

• Early American economy locally oriented

• Railroad & Banking

• Centralized work locations

• Management, hierarchy

• Specialized functions

• Value of positive physical environment to attract and retain staff

Cubicle Advantages & Challenges

• Advantages– …..

• Challenges– ……

Advantages of Cubicles• Cost efficient, easily adaptive space supports dynamic business climate

• Maximizes facilities - space and expense – with flexibility for changes in group size and work styles and changing technology

• Security from outside and to inside

• Positive image to visitors and employees

• Maximizes space to support group work and social interactions (meeting rooms, libraries, cafeterias)

• Preserves privacy and environment to concentrate

• Furniture and space tied to task and individual needs rather than job level

Challenges of Cubicles

• Access to daylight can be limited

• Disruptions/intrusions can impact on productivity

• Signals peer relationships and interaction patterns– Space management and corporate culture– Who has an office and who does not– Large, private offices at the top; small cubes at the bottom– Can create turf and hierarchy issues– Can foster alienation among workers

• Managing shared spaces and individual spaces

• Difficult to accommodate varied working styles and preferred work environments (temp, lighting, furniture, privacy)

The Rise of the

Cubicle

• A Cubicle – – from the Latin word cubiculum, bed chamber, small chambers of all

sorts, partitioned spaces, including study areas and small rooms with walls that do not reach the ceiling. Merriam-Webster Online

• Bob Probst created the first cubicle -- the Action Office• A beautiful vision in 1968… a system to raise productivity… • Plenty of work surfaces, varying desk levels, display shelves;

partitions, with privacy and places to pin-up works in progress • Economics of facilities management

– Downfall of the Action Office became a cheaper alternative to redoing a floor plan.

Some Cubicle Factoids

• In 1976 Richard Haworth made today’s cubicle -- a design with wall panels, internal wiring for lights and typewriters eliminating extension cords

• Big business with sales of $10 million in 1975 to 1999 revenue of $1.58 billion

• Coincided with ’70’s open classroom– Echoed same pros and cons as in the business

community. Unlike the open classroom concept, the cubicle has stood the test of time.

What cultural or work climate is necessary

to make cubicles successful?

Creating Cubicle Bliss Through Culture

• Create a culture of respect, where people feel comfortable expressing concerns and have policies to support it

– Zero-tolerance policies for workplace gossip– Create a system that lets others know “I’m not

available– Develop manager sensitivity to the impact of changing

layouts where the widening of one space narrows another

• Communicate professional standards or policies for work environment at time of hire and repeat regularly

– Personal Hygiene (Scent Policies)– Political, religious posters, etc.– Workplace/professional language and humor– Music

• Balance personal freedom in work space with professional and respectful environment– White noise machines– Private space for personal needs -- phone calls, breast pumping,

medically necessary exercise– Foster respect for privacy and value of collaborative work in

social spaces

• Avoid bad planning and cheap approaches– Investments in lighting, soundproofing, heat/cooling, ventilation, ergonomic stations become assets in recruiting and retaining good employees

“It takes only three walls to make a man feel trapped.”

The Drew Carey Show

THE MATRIX’s feature character, Thomas Anderson felt his cubicle emphasized his isolation from the world.

Dilbert….what more can we say?Dilbert.com, http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/dilbert/index.html

• 11/6/06

11/7/06

11/8/06

• 11/9/06

Attack of the Drones from

Accoutrements

What can all employees in a cubicle environment do to make the

work environment a productive, pleasant place to work?

Creating Cubicle Bliss Through Daily Use

of Etiquette

10 ways to build strong bondsand fosterproductivitywhen working with colleagues inclose quarters

1. Be a courteous guest.

2. Use your "library voice."

3. Curb casual conversation.

4. Stay home with the sniffles.

5. Have good scents.

6. Ask before borrowing.

7. Avoid décor disasters.

8. Hit the right tune.

9. Avoid phone faux pas.

10. Be friendly.

Rules for Cubicle CourtesyRobert Half International

Cubicle Innovations

• Sensors that detect when we enter offices –– cue software alerting colleagues that we’re available to talk– turn on electronic devises-- lights and computers– adjust to temperature preferences

• Shared microelectromechanical systems rendering super sharp images on displays for shared work projects

• PODS -- umbrella like, portable small group seating

• Advances in design, lighting, audio technology improving privacy, individualized environmental accommodations

My Cubicle

References

• Becker, Franklin. (1990) The Total Workplace. Facilities Management and the Elastic Organization. Van Nostrand Reinhold, NY.

• Bryant, Susan. Improve your cube life. Monster. htt/p://wlb.monster.com/articles/cube.

• Carbon to Computers: A Short History of the Birth and Growth of the American Office http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/scitech/carbons/text/birth.html

• Career Builder. Rules for Cubicle Courtesy. Robert Half International.http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/careerbytes/CBArticle.aspx?articleID=247&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=a5f02c4ca5de4e01bd3bde4f14323f94-215709994-VM-4

• Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. (2003). Good Business. Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning. Viking press: New York.

• Dilbert.com, http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/dilbert/index.html

• Lebeau, Mary. “The Fine Art of “Cubetiquette.” www.jobweb.com/resources/library/workplace_culture/The_Fine_Art_of_111_01.html.

• Schlosser, Julie. “Cubicles: The Great Mistake.” Fortune Magazine. March 22, 2006.

• Merriam-Webster Online

Thank you.Colleen.Bolton@unh.eduGinger.Lever@unh.edu