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Large Tech Companies Moving Beyond the Cubicle

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the what-would-dilbert-do dept.

statemachine writes in with a story from Silicon Valley about how Intel and Cisco, among other companies, are experimenting with cubeless, open, and unassigned seating. "Beginning this month, [Intel] will set up three experimental work sites. Open areas, comfortable armchairs, extra conference rooms and tables where people can plop down with laptops will replace the ubiquitous cubes that have been standard issue for decades. Each morning, Intel employees will log onto the corporate network using wireless connections. Their phone numbers will follow them. White boards that employees use to sketch out business plans and project strategies will be outfitted with electronics so drawings and plans can be transferred to laptops and e-mailed to colleagues. 'People feel much more comfortable coming up to me. It's more of a friendly atmosphere,' Cisco senior manager Ted Baumuller said. 'I hope I never have to go back to cubes.'"

3 of 345 comments (clear)

  1. As a european from by MemoryDragon · · Score: 4, Informative

    central europa I personally think the cubicle system is nothing more than a sick joke.
    The company I work for recently had to move offices because it was not conformant to working laws anymore, every person hat about 5 times the space a single cubicle has :-(

    Over here normal offices with 2-3 people are the norm, cubicles would not even remotely adhere to the law, and when I see them I usually think on those chicken farms where chicken are in the boxes only to be in there to lay eggs.

  2. Backward Tech Companies by PHPfanboy · · Score: 4, Informative

    There are plenty of writings about this - Wired did a piece years ago about BBWA Chiat Day in the US, there's the famous management course Oticon case study and recently I just read a nice book by Ricardo Semler. Normally the open plan offices translate into qualitative benefits in the company (people are happier, more collaborative, less secretive etc...).

    It's odd to read the comments here along the lines of "Send me back to the server room, I can't stand the lights....", but I guess there's no pleasing some people.

    --
    29 mpg. YMMV.
  3. Those who don't know history... by line-bundle · · Score: 4, Informative

    will be forced to repeat it.

    Behold exhibit A, TBWA Chiat/Day.

    http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.02/chiat.html