Cubicles versus traditional work space - how do the different work spaces elicit different behaviors? How would a behaviorist go about designing a work space?
Cubicles versus traditional work space - how do the different work spaces elicit different behaviors? How would a behaviorist go about designing a work space?
This video reminds me of Office Space. I can't imagine working in an environment like this. Personally, I don't think this environment is conducive to highly productive work. The concept of cubicles when they were introduced were open office systems. These systems were supposed to offer flexibility for the employee and save money for the company. Spaces such as these could elicit many behaviors. I think some people are more productive when its quiet. So being in an environment like this may cause them to become irritated and produce lesser quality work. Some people are more social and may like the fact that there are many people around in an open space. This may cause them to interact with others more than if they were in a room by themselves. In this case, they may get behind in their work. It could also work for the better.If the room was open, people could collaborate and have thoughtful discussions on their work. The result is they may produce better and more creative work. A behaviorist might try to design a space that is related with the work being done. In the video, the cuble setting was for a newspaper/online news company. There was a testimonial about how cubicles can offer more social and creative ways of coming up with things. As the times change, the environment wasnt condusive to that anymore and one man offered a suggestion to make areas more comfortable to bring back those thoughtful and creative aspects that had gone missing. I think a behaviorist might look to change the environment first, to elicit wanted behaviors.
I think this is tricky because most people would probably opt to work in their own work space, or room with a door and closed off from the rest of their employees. People probably work better when they're not being distracted by their peers but i could see how working in a smaller space could have it's benefits. You could perhaps consult with your co workers quicker and more efficiently, you could maybe learn to be more organized by having to problem-solve and prioritize objects in your space, and i'm sure it has a plethora of economical and environmental benefits by condensing work space into smaller areas.
I think if people come into a work environment where they first have to be in a cubicle it wouldn't pose a problem it all because that would be all they know and they would probably end up having a better sense of attention and organization skills rather than they would starting out in a larger closed-off office space.
However, I think from a behavioral standpoint that a behaviorist or designer may want to re-think how exactly they set up the cubicles so as co-workers can elicit behaviors that are most conducive to effective job performance. I've seen some cubicles that were much higher and more closed off which would eliminate some of the distractions that shorter walls may elicit.