Do open plan offices reduce collaboration?

Numbers match the citations in the article. A working link isn't proof that a page supports a claim; check the quoted passage and date.

1. 1

   Space, behavior, and environmental perception in open-plan offices: A prospective study

   Environment and Planning B Planning and Design (Rashid et al.)Published Dec 15, 2008Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “During field observations, movement, visible copresence (ie the number of people visible from a space), and face-to-face interaction were observed along a predefined route in each office. Thirty-five people responded to the questionnaire survey at the old office. Out of the thirty five, only twenty nine were available for survey at the new office. On the basis of the questionnaire survey data, three multi-item scales were constructed in order to measure perceived privacy, job satisfaction, and commitment to organization. Results indicate better visibility and accessibility, increased face-to-face interaction, and improved perceived privacy at the new office. Results also show consistent effects of space on movement, and significant positive correlations between perceived privacy, job satisfaction, and commitment to the organization at these locations, despite significant design differences. Implications of the research results and limitations of the research design are discussed.”

2. 2

   Open plan (Wikipedia)

   WikipediaPublished Sep 29, 2026Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “Open plan is the generic term used in architectural and interior design for any floor plan that makes use of large, open spaces and minimizes the use of small, enclosed rooms such as private offices. The term can also refer to landscaping of housing estates, business parks, etc., in which there are no defined property boundaries, such as hedges, fences, or walls. Open-plan office designs (e.g., tables with no visual barriers) reduce short-term building costs, compared to cubicles or private offices, but result in persistently lower productivity, dramatically fewer face-to-face interactions among staff, and a higher number of sick days. An open office plan may have permanently assigned spaces at a table, or it may be used as a flex space or hot desking program. In residential design, open plan or open concept (the term used mainly in Canada) describes the elimination of barriers such as walls and doors that traditionally separated distinct functional areas, such as combining the kitchen, living room, and dining room into a single great room.”

3. 3

   Navigating productivity dilemmas and conflicting loyalties in activity-based flexible offices - A qualitative study of managers' perspectives and coping strategies.

   PloS one (Babapour et al.)Published Nov 21, 2025Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “An inductive, bottom-up process was used for coding and thematization of the interview transcripts. Our results show that AFOs can enhance communication and collaboration depending on the units' collaboration needs and prior geographical distribution. However, this effect was overshadowed by task-environment misalignments on within-team communication, distractions, and limitations on adjustments and recruitments. Additionally, managers faced conflicting loyalties between defending the organisation's decision to implement AFOs while ensuring compliance with legal work environment requirements despite limited resources. There is a risk that the implementation of flexible offices will fragment and complicate managers' tasks, such as ensuring that daily operations run smoothly, meeting legal responsibilities, and managing and recruiting staff. This poses a risk to managers' productivity and health, and consequently, the achievement of organisational goals. The study uncovers managerial experiences, challenges, and coping strategies in AFOs, offering valuable insights for organisations considering this office type.”

4. 4

   Making sense of activity-based workplaces: perspectives from staff in a municipal setting.

   International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being (Wall et al.)Published Feb 13, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “The analysis draws on Weick (1995) concept of sensemaking.MethodsTranscripts from focus group interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis to examine how different staff groups experienced the transition from traditional cellular offices to ABW, and how these experiences framed their sense-making of ABW within the organisational context.ResultsThe analysis shows that ABW create working conditions marked by both increased interaction and persistent challenges related to privacy, confidentiality, noise, leadership, and ergonomics. Sensemaking was structured around five themes: Contrasting; Rationality; Collective process; Working from home; and Focusing on the ideal.ConclusionSensemaking of ABW is closely tied to how well concrete working conditions support core work tasks. Acceptance of ABW depends less on the concept itself and more on its ability to accommodate sector-specific demands, particularly confidentiality and focused work. The findings underscore the importance of aligning ABW design and implementation with everyday work practices in the public sector.”

5. 5

   Employee workspace preferences in a mandated hybrid work policy: A discrete choice experiment.

   Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health (Aboagye et al.)Published Dec 11, 2025Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “edefined, mutually exclusive subgroups, with results reported only for those exhibiting statistically significant differences in preferences.ResultsThe results showed that having a dedicated desk (ie, no desk sharing) was an important factor influencing preferences, followed by personalization and territoriality, opportunities for teamwork, and social interaction. Employees preferred having access to shared spaces for collaboration while also valuing dedicated desks for personal belongings. Private offices and quiet spaces were not strongly preferred. Preferences varied by demographic and work-related characteristics, including gender, age, commute distance, and home environment.ConclusionsThis study shows that operational support staff in higher education prefer office designs that provide a dedicated desk, emphasize personalization, and social interaction. The strong preference for control over workspace and social connection highlights the office`s role in supporting psychosocial well-being in flexible work arrangements. These findings are crucial for informing occupational health and safety strategies and designing workspaces that balance individual and collective requirements.”

6. 6

   Effects of Office Layout on Job Satisfaction, Productivity and Organizational Commitment as Transmitted through Face-to-Face Interactions

   W&M Publish (College of William & Mary) (Wolfeld)Published Jan 1, 2010Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “28 employees from a university administrative office completed an online survey that measured the outcomes, workspace variables and interaction frequency on seven-point Likert scales. Other items on the survey asked participants to express as a percentage the amount of time they spend on various activities. Bivariate correlations were computed and among the findings was a statistically significant correlation between accessibility and frequency of impromptu interactions as well as between accessibility and productivity. Job satisfaction and organizational commitment had a significant positive correlation, but neither had a significant relationship with productivity. Frequency of informal and unplanned interactions also seems to enhance an employee’s job satisfaction, organizational commitment and productivity. Social network analysis and precise quantitative measures of integration, distance and visibility could increase the study’s reliability and shed more light on the present findings.”