6 Ridiculous Reasons for an Open Space Office

Open space offices are introduced in about 70% of companies in the USA. However, scientists claim that such environment decreases the efficiency by 20%, harms health and give only very few advantages. Nevertheless, the top-management stubbornly keeps open spaces because of these 6 ridiculous reasons.

1. Fashion

The popularity of business literature makes most management concepts, such as TQM, Six Sigma, matrix management, etc, a great hit and all sorts of consultants promise to solve all business problems with their help. In the end, the promises stay only the promises and those consultants try to make everyone forget what their money and efforts have been spent on. Today’s fashion trend is open space offices.

2. Laziness

Management is hard work. The head must understand the employees’ motivation, direct people to the common goal, cope with difficulties and make hard decisions. All these require susceptibility, persistence, patience and courage.

Fashion trends always promise to make management easier. Studying the peculiarities of management? Why, if you can simply “unite people in the collaborative environment and let them create their own teams” and relieve yourself of the trouble.

3. Theatrics

Contrary to most business trends that usually go unnoticed, open spaces strike visitors from the first sight with their modernity no less than elaborate architecture or luxurious furniture. They offer a wonderful view of people doing their job.

Open space offices are promoted as a “progressive” approach to management, but in fact, it is a never-ending struggle between the employees for personal space.

4. Superiority complex

An open space office is supposed to contribute to teamwork and team spirit. Why then do all bosses have their personal offices? Don’t they want to work in a team which is a direct path to success, as they say?

An open space emphasizes the gap between the management who can have their personal space and the rest of the staff who have to work in constricted conditions. This makes a separate office a symbol of status and increases its value.

5. Distrust

Open space allows the manager to see if the employees are idling away their workday by playing computer games, reading the news or browsing social media. Without walls, the manager can always notice and stop the employee’s unwanted activity on the computer or phone.

This is the snitch’s paradise. Though managers who appreciate delations are not very popular and trusted by their subordinates.

6. Irrationality

Millions of people don’t believe even in global warming, so not believing in such an abstract notion as the harm of open spaces is no surprise.

Managers hardly recognize their mistakes in fear of being the target of criticism and losing their job. They insist on this model or pay great sums of money to quietly return to the old ways.