Many workplaces use open-plan offices because they are intended to make it easier for employees to communicate and share ideas. However, research suggests this is not always the case, according to Popular Sciance.
According to a study published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, face-to-face communication between employees declined after two companies switched to open-plan offices.
A review published in SAGE Journals also points to higher stress levels, lower job satisfaction, and reduced productivity in open-plan office environments.
Better ideas start in silence
Group brainstorming is often used to generate new solutions, but several studies suggest that people tend to generate more ideas when they work independently first.
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This is supported by research published in Administrative Science Quarterly and the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
A study published in Nature also found that developing ideas through video meetings can make the creative process more difficult.
Focus beats multitasking
The biggest challenge, however, lies in the way tasks are completed.
Many people believe that multitasking saves time, but research suggests otherwise.
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According to the American Psychological Association, switching from one task to another carries a time cost each time it occurs.
Research published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology also indicates that frequent task switching increases the risk of errors and makes it more difficult to maintain focus.
Taken together, the research suggests that the most effective way to work is to focus on one task at a time.
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