Creating a Better Workplace: A Comparison between Open Vs. Closed Workspaces in Six Jordanian Offices Focusing on Communication Patterns

Owais Kattan (Jordan University of Science and Technology)

Many organizations are rethinking and re-imagining their work environments by understanding their employees’ needs and aspirations, with the intention of creating better work-spaces that promote employees’ health, happiness, and well-being. The basis for our work is an evaluation study of six workplaces in Jordan to identify aspects of the layout and design that influence communication as one aspect of strengthening the connection between people and the places they share. Three workplaces are characterized by private offices- design and three workplaces with open and shared work-spaces. The study applied an online survey and spatial analyses. No statistical differences were found in communication patterns between the two groups of offices. However, data analyses revealed that communications patterns in all cases were constrained by differences in the social hierarchy or job status and by the physical distances between staff members. The frequency of communication among team members with same roles was higher than the frequency of communication among team members with different roles. The frequency of communication between two team members declines with the increase of the distance between their work locations.