The Show on KJZZ

Listen live weekdays at 9 a.m.

Do Open Offices Really Promote Collaboration?

Published: Monday, July 16, 2018 - 2:19pm
Audio icon Download mp3 (8.82 MB)

More offices lately — even outside of Silicon Valley — are being designed as “open concept.” No more cubicles, no more walled-off suites.

The idea is that these open offices allow for more collaboration, promote transparency and allow us to be more observable to each other. Of course, they’re also money savers. Open work-spaces cost less per square foot.

But are they worth the cost savings, and do they really make us communicate more?

Ethan Bernstein is an associate professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at Harvard Business School. He recently studied these open-plan offices, and his findings are a little surprising.

The Show spoke with him about what he was expecting and what he actually found out.

BusinessThe Show