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Office Space as a Management Tool: The ambiguity of space and the influence of unintended consequences - A qualitative case study

Heller, Klara Sophia LU and Käfer, Alina LU (2019) BUSN49 20191
Department of Business Administration
Abstract
Office space is a vital element of every organization. Additionally, there is an ongoing debate on how to utilize office space most effective to maximize occupancy while providing an efficient work environment for employees. Because office space is the daily work environment for many people, in which they spend a tremendous amount of their time, office space can exert a considerable impact on their experiences. Academic literature provides ambiguous findings on how office space impacts specific work-related behaviors. Therefore, this qualitative case study investigates how office space impacts employees' experiences at work, providing nuanced and in-depth understandings of space management techniques, and employees experiences of office... (More)
Office space is a vital element of every organization. Additionally, there is an ongoing debate on how to utilize office space most effective to maximize occupancy while providing an efficient work environment for employees. Because office space is the daily work environment for many people, in which they spend a tremendous amount of their time, office space can exert a considerable impact on their experiences. Academic literature provides ambiguous findings on how office space impacts specific work-related behaviors. Therefore, this qualitative case study investigates how office space impacts employees' experiences at work, providing nuanced and in-depth understandings of space management techniques, and employees experiences of office spaces. Twelve semi-structured interviews, conducted at a Swedish technology company, build the foundation of this thesis. Making use of an interpretive and abductive approach, this thesis uncovers unintended consequences of space as a management tool and the ambiguity of space. In addition to making a theoretical contribution to the literature on office space and social interaction, the findings support practitioners in understanding their employees' experiences and individual needs better. This thesis concludes with the call for a more reflexive, individualized, and inclusive approach when (re-)designing office spaces. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Heller, Klara Sophia LU and Käfer, Alina LU
supervisor
organization
course
BUSN49 20191
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
keywords
Space, Office Design, Interaction, Collaboration, Communication, Productivity, Creativity, Open Offices, Single Offices, Closed Offices, Unintended Consequences, Privacy, Control, Focus, In-Depth Case Study, Qualitative Research, Abductive Approach, Interpretive Approach
language
English
id
8990051
date added to LUP
2019-07-04 16:31:08
date last changed
2019-07-04 16:31:08
@misc{8990051,
  abstract     = {{Office space is a vital element of every organization. Additionally, there is an ongoing debate on how to utilize office space most effective to maximize occupancy while providing an efficient work environment for employees. Because office space is the daily work environment for many people, in which they spend a tremendous amount of their time, office space can exert a considerable impact on their experiences. Academic literature provides ambiguous findings on how office space impacts specific work-related behaviors. Therefore, this qualitative case study investigates how office space impacts employees' experiences at work, providing nuanced and in-depth understandings of space management techniques, and employees experiences of office spaces. Twelve semi-structured interviews, conducted at a Swedish technology company, build the foundation of this thesis. Making use of an interpretive and abductive approach, this thesis uncovers unintended consequences of space as a management tool and the ambiguity of space. In addition to making a theoretical contribution to the literature on office space and social interaction, the findings support practitioners in understanding their employees' experiences and individual needs better. This thesis concludes with the call for a more reflexive, individualized, and inclusive approach when (re-)designing office spaces.}},
  author       = {{Heller, Klara Sophia and Käfer, Alina}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Office Space as a Management Tool: The ambiguity of space and the influence of unintended consequences - A qualitative case study}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}