Franklin Becker and Fritz Steele
Argues that the concept of the total workplace goes beyond physicalfacilities to take account of the whole network of social,organisational, and design elements that constitute…
Abstract
Argues that the concept of the total workplace goes beyond physical facilities to take account of the whole network of social, organisational, and design elements that constitute the context in which we spend our working lives. Uses the Steelcase Corporate Development Centre, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as an example of a total workplace, and to show the effectiveness of teamwork and the critical need for communication in advanced work culture. Discusses a number of key social process areas that represent an integral part of the workplace. Finally, considers the application of the total workplace concept to other organisations and contexts.
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This paper situates the concept of library as place in its broader context of relevant theory and research in a number of fields, primarily psychology, neurology, geography…
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This paper situates the concept of library as place in its broader context of relevant theory and research in a number of fields, primarily psychology, neurology, geography, philosophy, and architecture. The term “place” is defined, its powers described, and its role in library administration and design thus revealed to be one of very considerable significance at the highest levels of library mission in any setting.
Reflections on gender and OD over a 50-year career as a scholar, an OD practitioner, and a woman managing a complex life and career.My journey in OD has spanned 50 years which is…
Abstract
Reflections on gender and OD over a 50-year career as a scholar, an OD practitioner, and a woman managing a complex life and career.
My journey in OD has spanned 50 years which is also about as long organization development has been around. In this essay, I will reflect on my experiences with special attention to issues of gender. I will also mention some issues of concern that confront us as OD scholars and practitioners, especially the balance between thinking and doing. As I describe my experiences, I hope they will lead to an appreciation of all that has happened in just 50 years! My experience is not everyone’s experience. I make no claim to that. I hope that some of the issues I raise resonate with you, or fill in some blanks, or lend a different perspective.
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Organisations face unprecedented pressures to do more, and better, with less. To prosper, organisations must reduce capital and operating costs and increase flexibility and…
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Organisations face unprecedented pressures to do more, and better, with less. To prosper, organisations must reduce capital and operating costs and increase flexibility and adaptability, while creating a workplace that helps attract and retain the highest quality of staff and enables them to work to their fullest potential. This paper reports on a recent study of how different types of office solutions, from closed offices and cubicles to team‐oriented bullpens, influence communication patterns, and how these, in turn, affect work effectiveness factors such as decision speed, organisational learning and the building of trust. The findings suggest that, contrary to conventional wisdom, more open team‐oriented environments support work effectiveness of individuals and teams better than do more closed environments such as cubicles. They do this while reducing cost and increasing flexibility. Implications for office planning and design are discussed.
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Argues that measurement is the foundation of the new discipline offacilities management. Advocates increased rigour in the invention anduse of measurements, greater awareness of…
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Argues that measurement is the foundation of the new discipline of facilities management. Advocates increased rigour in the invention and use of measurements, greater awareness of consumers, balance between supply and demand, and making measurement data open. Offers suggestions for successful building measurements. Concludes that performance measurements are desirable not for their own sake, but because they have the power to bring about change.
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A popular line we frequently hear in our society today goes something like, “When you understand where he's coming from, then what he does makes sense”. The implied message is…
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A popular line we frequently hear in our society today goes something like, “When you understand where he's coming from, then what he does makes sense”. The implied message is that a relationship exists between belief and behaviour; that is, the assumptions we have about life colour, our perception of our environment and shape our actions in our environment. The importance of the linkages among assumptions, perceptions and action cannot be overstated.
Space planning is an American term dating back to the fifties and sixties which was introduced into the United Kingdom in the early seventies—and which still arouses derision…
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Space planning is an American term dating back to the fifties and sixties which was introduced into the United Kingdom in the early seventies—and which still arouses derision. What is special about space planning? How does it differ from interior design or architecture? And what has it to offer the British facilities manager?
Early in one’s career in psychology, certainly starting in graduate school, if not sooner as a psych major in college, a choice point gradually emerges between seeking a career as…
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Early in one’s career in psychology, certainly starting in graduate school, if not sooner as a psych major in college, a choice point gradually emerges between seeking a career as a scholar, a scientist, and perhaps as an academic versus pursuing the life of a practitioner, one who applies the work of the former, the scholar. We faculty will often cast this choice in the form of a “tension” between science and practice. Ironically, I have never felt such tension. The purpose of this chapter is to explore choices we make in life and career, the consequences of these choices, and what we can learn in the process, that is, along the way and the implications for organization change and development.
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Stephen M. Bell and Marty Anderson
Real estate professionals are recognising the positive impact they can have on their corporation’scompetitiveness by providing workplace solutions that enhance individual and team…
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Real estate professionals are recognising the positive impact they can have on their corporation’s competitiveness by providing workplace solutions that enhance individual and team performance. To develop successfully workplace solutions that meet both today’s and tomorrow’s needs of the organisation, the workplace design process must incorporate new ways of thinking about work; include team members who until recently were not involved in workplace design; and provide physical solutions that meet the definition of ‘agile’ (easily adaptable, flexible, and varied) environments. This paper discusses the evolution of work and the changes that have occurred in the workplace in an effort to meet these new workplace needs. The traditional models used for programming and planning the physical environment are no longer effective when dealing with workplaces for today’s knowledge workers. The importance of developing new processes for identifying ‘tomorrows’ workplace requirements; the team members who must be involved to develop and implement these new solutions successfully; and the types of physical environments that must be created in order to enhance workplace and worker performance are all integral in the development of the high performance workplace.
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The virtual organization is upon us, or so we are led to believe. No longer will we have to worry about finding enough space for so many workstations, as people will be sitting…
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The virtual organization is upon us, or so we are led to believe. No longer will we have to worry about finding enough space for so many workstations, as people will be sitting in cyberspace waiting either to send or receive their next communication. It will not matter where in the universe someone is, provided that they can communicate. People will be working in physical isolation, but this does not matter as they can, yes you’ve guessed it, communicate! There is no doubting that communicating is good and absolutely necessary, but it is quality of communication which is needed, not just any old garbled message. Are standards of communication deteriorating? The media by which we are sending messages are improving, of that there is little doubt, but it is the content and usefulness of this content which must be brought to question.