Organizations are rushing to implement open office spaces in hopes of retaining talent, encouraging cross-functional collaboration, enhancing exposure to different kinds of expertise, and accelerating creativity and innovation. Sometimes this works, but often it doesn’t. In our research, we discovered that success with open offices may have as much to do with how people feel about the space — something called place identity — as with the space itself. When place identity is higher, employees report more engagement in their work, more communication with their peers, and a stronger connection to the company. Our study uncovers three things that leaders can do to increase place identity when moving to open office spaces.
How to Make Sure People Won’t Hate Your New Open Office Plan
Organizations are rushing to implement open office spaces in the hopes of retaining talent, encouraging cross-functional collaboration, enhancing exposure to different kinds of expertise, and accelerating creativity and innovation. Sometimes this works, but often it doesn’t. New research shows that success with open offices may have as much to do with how people feel about the space — something called place identity — as with the space itself. There are three things that leaders can do to increase place identity when moving to open office spaces. Convey the vision for the space and how it aligns with company goals before the move. Convey a positive attitude about the new space once in it. And encourage workers to adapt the space to their needs — give them leeway to personalize it. When leaders communicate the value of the space beforehand, proactively help workers acclimate, and give employees leeway to adapt the space, organizations are much more likely to reap the benefits of the investment in redesigned workspaces.