We don’t have offices in our firm. We have an open floor plan with everyone sitting in a big room with several glass divider walls that help manage the noise. We sit within a few feet of the next person.
It looks like the city room of a newspaper might look.
It works really well for us. It allows us to hear one another which is a great way to share information without requiring a rigid, formal system.
It helps train new lawyers. They can, literally, ask a question during a phone call.
It keeps highly social attorneys happy since they can spin around in the chair and talk to a colleague anytime they want.
Most importantly, it gives access to the firm’s leadership and experienced attorneys. Anyone can speak to anyone, and learn from anyone, all day long.
All and all, it breaks down the barriers that exist in some firms between partners and associates and between lawyers and others. The impact is better communication and relationships.
But, there’s a dark side to our big room.
It doesn’t come equipped with walls for hanging diplomas. It doesn’t come with a door to close to keep others out. It doesn’t come with the status of a view earned by years of service. It isn’t what attorneys have come to expect after years of law school.
One recent visitor, a judge, jokingly asked if we were telemarketing magazines.
That remark really didn’t help our egos.
We’ve had attorneys turn down our offer of a position in the past. They haven’t expressly blamed the open office, but I suspect it impacted a few situations.
Hiring attorneys has, at least until recently, required a fair amount of sensitivity to the ego. The current economic climate might have shifted that somewhat.
Our big room puts, front and center, the need to balance attorney ego against efficiency and effectiveness. We’ve come down on the side of being more productive.
Doing something unexpected and different creates challenges that aren’t always obvious. That’s a lesson worth passing along.
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In this modern day most of the offices are same as you have mentioned. Many departments are there and they are separated by some insignificant divider. You are absolutely right that these types of environment creates healthy work culture and even modern science proved that depression, hypertension and many types of psychological ailments have been quenched.
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Although this arrangement may be fine for some, some people may find this arrangement distracting and not for any reasons related to ego. The background noise may even be noticed by clients.
I think the advantages of the open space can be accounted for in different ways that still allow folks to work with fewer distractions. I don’t think any one type of work space is good for everyone. I think it would be great to have a choice.
Finally, just because a space may be physically open, there can still be plenty of barriers to communications present in an office.
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Steve,
Great points. I appreciate your input. You know, from experience, what an open floor plan is like and I’m glad you chimed in.
Lee