Duncan Stephen

Human-centred decisions

Tag: Offices

  • Thoughts on vulnerability

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    Thoughts on vulnerability This is a really enlightening and enjoyable article about how vulnerability can sometimes be a strength. What I’ve realized is that sometimes being vulnerable is a really powerful feeling, like being bilingual: being present and making clear decisions in a meeting while rocking a baby, or confidently stopping someone mid-presentation to ask […]

    Illustration of a woman in a workplace

  • It’s official: Open plan offices are now the dumbest management fad of all time

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    It’s official: Open plan offices are now the dumbest management fad of all time New research suggests that open plan offices hinder collaboration rather than help it. Previous studies of open plan offices have shown that they make people less productive, but most of those studies gave lip service to the notion that open plan […]

  • The subtle sexism of your open plan office

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    The subtle sexism of your open plan office When the architect responsible for an open plan office that made women feel watched compared it to being on a nudist beach, he undermined himself. “I think it’s like going to a nudist beach. You know, first you’re a little bit worried that everyone’s looking at you, […]

  • What makes the perfect office?

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    What makes the perfect office? Lessons for architects, designers and managers. What research has shown about office design and productivity. It turns out that the most productive spaces aren’t the ones that are tasteful, “look professional” or have been designed by a starchitect. They are spaces that empowered people to make the space their own. […]

  • Why you can focus in a coffee shop but not in your open office

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    Why you can focus in a coffee shop but not in your open office It transpires that a moderate level of noise helps you concentrate. I find listening to music helps. This year I have started working in an open plan office for the first time, which is taking some getting used to.