CUBICLE COURTESY
Cultural and organizational
implications of today’s offices
or
best practices leading to cubicle bliss
Colleen Bolton & Ginger Lever
November 2006
• Welcome & Introductions
• Who we are
• Why we are here
– Preparing students for their futures
– Creating “flow” and productive environments
History of the Modern Office
• Today more than 60% of white-collar
workers, 40 million Americans work in
cubicles
• Early American economy locally oriented
• Railroad & Banking
• Centralized work locations
• Management, hierarchy
• Specialized functions
• Value of positive physical environment to
attract and retain staff
Cubicle Advantages & Challenges
• Advantages
– …..
• Challenges
– ……
Advantages of Cubicles
• Cost efficient, easily adaptive space supports dynamic business
climate
• Maximizes facilities - space and expense – with flexibility for changes
in group size and work styles and changing technology
• Security from outside and to inside
• Positive image to visitors and employees
• Maximizes space to support group work and social interactions
(meeting rooms, libraries, cafeterias)
• Preserves privacy and environment to concentrate
• Furniture and space tied to task and individual needs rather than job
level
Challenges of Cubicles
• Access to daylight can be limited
• Disruptions/intrusions can impact on productivity
• Signals peer relationships and interaction patterns
– Space management and corporate culture
– Who has an office and who does not
– Large, private offices at the top; small cubes at the bottom
– Can create turf and hierarchy issues
– Can foster alienation among workers
• Managing shared spaces and individual spaces
• Difficult to accommodate varied working styles and preferred work
environments (temp, lighting, furniture, privacy)
The Rise
of the
Cubicle
Some Cubicle Factoids
•
A Cubicle –
– from the Latin word cubiculum, bed chamber, small chambers of all
sorts, partitioned spaces, including study areas and small rooms with
walls that do not reach the ceiling. Merriam-Webster Online
•
Bob Probst created the first cubicle -- the Action Office
• A beautiful vision in 1968… a system to raise productivity…
• Plenty of work surfaces, varying desk levels, display shelves;
partitions, with privacy and places to pin-up works in progress
• Economics of facilities management
– Downfall of the Action Office became a cheaper alternative
to redoing a floor plan.
• In 1976 Richard Haworth made today’s cubicle -- a
design with wall panels, internal wiring for lights and
typewriters eliminating extension cords
• Big business with sales of $10 million in 1975 to 1999
revenue of $1.58 billion
• Coincided with ’70’s open classroom
– Echoed same pros and cons as in the business
community. Unlike the open classroom concept, the
cubicle has stood the test of time.
What cultural or work climate
is necessary
to make cubicles successful?
Creating Cubicle Bliss
Through Culture
• Create a culture of respect, where people
feel comfortable expressing concerns and
have policies to support it
– Zero-tolerance policies for workplace gossip
– Create a system that lets others know “I’m not
available
– Develop manager sensitivity to the impact of
changing layouts where the widening of one space
narrows another
• Communicate professional standards or
policies for work environment at time of
hire and repeat regularly
–
–
–
–
Personal Hygiene (Scent Policies)
Political, religious posters, etc.
Workplace/professional language and humor
Music
• Balance personal freedom in work space with
professional and respectful environment
– White noise machines
– Private space for personal needs -- phone calls, breast pumping,
medically necessary exercise
– Foster respect for privacy and value of collaborative work in
social spaces
• Avoid bad planning and cheap approaches
– Investments in lighting, soundproofing,
heat/cooling, ventilation,
ergonomic stations become
assets in recruiting and
retaining good employees
“It takes only three walls to make
a man feel trapped.”
The Drew Carey Show
THE MATRIX’s feature character,
Thomas Anderson felt his
cubicle emphasized his
isolation from the world.
Dilbert….what more can we say?
Dilbert.com, http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/dilbert/index.html
• 11/6/06
11/7/06
11/8/06
• 11/9/06
Attack of the Drones from
Accoutrements
What can all employees in a
cubicle environment do to make the
work environment a productive,
pleasant place to work?
Creating Cubicle Bliss
Through Daily Use
of Etiquette
1. Be a courteous guest.
10 ways to
build strong bonds
and foster
productivity
when working
with colleagues in
close quarters
2. Use your "library voice."
3. Curb casual conversation.
4. Stay home with the sniffles.
5. Have good scents.
6. Ask before borrowing.
7. Avoid décor disasters.
8. Hit the right tune.
9. Avoid phone faux pas.
10. Be friendly.
Rules for Cubicle Courtesy
Robert Half International
Cubicle Innovations
• Sensors that detect when we enter offices –
– cue software alerting colleagues that we’re available to talk
– turn on electronic devises-- lights and computers
– adjust to temperature preferences
• Shared microelectromechanical systems rendering super
sharp images on displays for shared work projects
• PODS -- umbrella like, portable small group seating
• Advances in design, lighting, audio technology improving
privacy, individualized environmental accommodations
My Cubicle
References
•
Becker, Franklin. (1990) The Total Workplace. Facilities Management and the Elastic Organization. Van Nostrand
Reinhold, NY.
•
Bryant, Susan. Improve your cube life. Monster. htt/p://wlb.monster.com/articles/cube.
•
Carbon to Computers: A Short History of the Birth and Growth of the American Office
http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/scitech/carbons/text/birth.html
•
Career Builder. Rules for Cubicle Courtesy. Robert Half
International.http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/careerbytes/CBArticle.aspx?articleID=247&cbRecursionCn
t=1&cbsid=a5f02c4ca5de4e01bd3bde4f14323f94-215709994-VM-4
•
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. (2003). Good Business. Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning. Viking press:
New York.
•
Dilbert.com, http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/dilbert/index.html
•
Lebeau, Mary. “The Fine Art of “Cubetiquette.”
www.jobweb.com/resources/library/workplace_culture/The_Fine_Art_of_111_01.html.
•
Schlosser, Julie. “Cubicles: The Great Mistake.” Fortune Magazine. March 22, 2006.
•
Merriam-Webster Online
Thank you.
Colleen.Bolton@unh.edu
Ginger.Lever@unh.edu