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Influence of dynamic changes of workplace on organisational culture

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 January 2022

Kusal Nanayakkara Open the ORCID record for Kusal Nanayakkara [Opens in a new window] ,
Sara Wilkinson Open the ORCID record for Sara Wilkinson [Opens in a new window]  and
Dulani Halvitigala
Kusal Nanayakkara
Affiliation:
University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Sara Wilkinson*
Affiliation:
University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Dulani Halvitigala
Affiliation:
RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
*
Author for correspondence: Sara Wilkinson, E-mail: sara.wilkinson@uts.edu.au
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Abstract

Challenged by the effects of organisational flexibility and high corporate real estate costs, organisations are increasingly seeking flexibility and operational efficiency in their office spaces. To date, the literature relating to flexible office spaces has focused mainly on their physical characteristics. The full effects of such spaces on human reactions and the corporate culture of organisations are less understood. The objective of this paper is to examine the influence of introducing activity-based working (ABW) on existing organisational culture. It was addressed from the perspective of the management of large corporate organisations. A mixed-method research that included a qualitative approach followed by a quantitative approach was adopted. The first stage included semistructured interviews with 19 large organisations who had introduced flexible layouts. The second stage involved a questionnaire survey of 32 organisations which had experienced office layout changes. Findings identify that the nature of workplace designs has a considerable impact on the corporate culture of an organisation and can be used to leverage and change its culture. Workplace designs directly influence culture by supporting the systems, symbols, engagement/motivation and behaviours of the organisation and employees. However, some differences between the perceptions of public and private organisations were identified. In conclusion, office layouts are artefacts that can either support, or change, the existing organisational culture. Therefore, the critical achievement of workspace design is to integrate the cultures, values and behaviours of organisations to meet their ultimate goals.

Keywords

Activity-based workingdimensions of organisational cultureoffice layoutsorganisational culture
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 27 , Special Issue 6: Physical and virtual work environments during COVID-19 , November 2021 , pp. 1003 - 1020
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2022

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Footnotes

†

This article has been updated since original publication and the error rectified in online PDF and HTML versions. A notice detailing the changes has also been published at https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2022.3.

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