Libraries – how companies do not understand open spaces
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Re: Libraries – how companies do not understand open spaces
#2With remote work, open spaces from hell are (hopefully) a thing of the past, but key learnings on proper room culture are still valid after almost 200 years. How 400 people can work in deep focus in library but cannot do the same in company open space?
Re: Libraries – how companies do not understand open spaces
#3It is interesting how these apply to the kind of office I work in: the nurse's station of a hospital unit. Any attempt at a library ambiance is impossible with today's medical equipment, the amount of alarms active at any time is staggering.
Preferring written messages over voice calls is incentivized, but still needs work. You can page a physician, but almost always he will call back rather than respond in writing. Sometimes the physician will never enter the order into the electronic health record and so it needs to be entered by the nurse—that's an opportunity for error.
Introducing friction is a good idea. The best places for drawing up medications are ones with doors, it gives a rare moment of silence. Unfortunately there's a culture issue, people will leave those doors open and try to talk to people busy in there.
Newer-built units are much better spaces to work in, generally. They're larger and have these ideas in mind when built. It's rare when a tower can be completely demolished, however. New equipment fills older wings and staff have to squeeze past it.
Re: Libraries – how companies do not understand open spaces
#4When sharing a small office my coworkers and I would talk a fair bit. Later I moved to a newly-remodeled space and I’ll give my coworkers credit: it was very quiet there, much like a library.
Which meant there was little reason to go into the office.
I think for collaboration, you want a nice team room (much like a meeting room) where everyone there is actually working together on the same project.
Re: Libraries – how companies do not understand open spaces
#5With remote work, open spaces from hell are (hopefully) a thing of the past, but key learnings on proper room culture are still valid after almost 200 years. How 400 people can work in deep focus in library but cannot do the same in company open space?
Perhaps with libraries people think that they should be quiet there, while it is advertised as collaboration space for open spaces and people are encouraged to talk there?
Re: Libraries – how companies do not understand open spaces
#6With remote work, open spaces from hell are (hopefully) a thing of the past, but key learnings on proper room culture are still valid after almost 200 years. How 400 people can work in deep focus in library but cannot do the same in company open space?
Maybe I have a psychological problem that most people don't have, but I can't work on a monitor that is publicly visible.
Re: Libraries – how companies do not understand open spaces
#7With remote work, open spaces from hell are (hopefully) a thing of the past, but key learnings on proper room culture are still valid after almost 200 years. How 400 people can work in deep focus in library but cannot do the same in company open space?
> How 400 people can work in deep focus in library but cannot do the same in company open space?
They're different kinds of work. People usually (to this day) work alone in libraries. People in big open bullpen offices tend to work collaboratively.
Also, those solo library workers don't typically have bosses by whom to be seen collaborating. Or "collaborating."
Re: Libraries – how companies do not understand open spaces
#8It is interesting to use a library as a model, but I would be amazed that you could get any particular company to understand and implement it. I could see teams having dedicated coworking areas that are extended from a large central open area. But, I could also predict that people would just carry their discussions into the open area, and constantly walk up and disturb the peace by asking "quick questions" anyway. Anyone asking others to "please be respectful" would probably get laughed at and ignored.
On the other hand, a coworking space might be able to pull off such a model, with a large open area, and then dedicated areas for team collaboration. You don't play by the rules: see you later.
I do think working physically next to others could be quite pleasant. But, given that in almost 23 years of work, I've never experienced this, I'll take remote work instead, since it at least gives me control over the mayhem. And maybe I'll ask if there's budget for some coworking space time. But given the current economy, I'm not holding my breath...
Re: Libraries – how companies do not understand open spaces
#9I think once you allow eating at the tables and have everyone hammering their keyboards (as opposed to mostly reading) there won't be much of a difference to an open office anymore
Re: Libraries – how companies do not understand open spaces
#10With remote work, open spaces from hell are (hopefully) a thing of the past, but key learnings on proper room culture are still valid after almost 200 years. How 400 people can work in deep focus in library but cannot do the same in company open space?
Who will be the library nazi that kicks you out when you talk too loudly?