Keep it open to tweaks

An open-plan office design will work only if the nature of the organisation and the unique needs of its workforce are factored in

At Clix Capital, sofas take the place of swivel chairs Photos: Special Arrangement

For sometime now, in the world of business, the viewpoint that “the big overpowers the small” is often being dismissed as outdated. It’s frequently replaced with one that suggests that it’s now all about “the swift overtaking the slow”. With leaner start-ups on the block, swiftness in decision-making and execution has certainly assumed greater value. Yet, being a large animal in the world of business will continue to be an advantage.

The more realistic approach would be to appreciate the validity of both viewpoints. If they do that, large organisations will adopt systems and introduce structures that enable greater interactivity between its various departments and thereby swifter responses to market challenges.

This philosophy should permeate all aspects of an organisation, including its physical structure. RPG House at Worli, Mumbai, is introducing such a change in its physical structure. Over the last two years, it has been renovating the offices spaces on all of its seven floors, in a phased manner. Now, the work on the last floor (ground floor) is drawing to a close. The changes are striking. The wooden cubicles and closed cabins have been pulled down. Besides removing the real (and sometimes imaginary) boundaries between sections, the new design has brought in sufficient natural light. The chairs, lamp and walls have also been redesigned and the new design elements are aimed at instilling creativity.

Pratima Salunke, vice president and CHRO, Raychem RPG, says change in office design is an intervention by itself and it enables employees to work together more efficiently.

‘Hybrid’ spaces

A number of start-ups and MNCs are adopting the open-plan office format, but with some modifications.

There are some that go in for a “hybrid format”, one that combines cubicles, open spaces and sound-proof cabins to address the different needs of employees.

When Clix Capital, a Gurgaon-based NBFC, was setting up its office, it had the future in mind. Except for transparent, sound-proof glass-door meeting rooms, one can’t see any closed rooms on its spacious floor. Even the CEO and other C-suite executives don’t have cabins.

There are many companies that subscribe to the view that the open-office format creates a greater sense of team spirit.

“The open-plan office space was first introduced to get people to come out of their cubicles and collaborate. On the flip side, when employees want to get into a work mode that calls for a certain degree of privacy, they don’t have any space that could provide that,” says Praveen Rawal, managing director, Steelcase India and South East Asia.

Rawal says that companies have begun to introduce open offices that support all work modes.

“The first step is for organisations to recognise that people seek to strike a balance between being alone and being with others,” he says.

Samsung, which moved to its new office space at Gurgaon, has made sure its employees have silent rooms — across each of the seven floors — to make calls. Its colourful breakout areas are also used as brainstorming corners.

The layout preferences of an office depend on the needs of the organisation.

“For a legal firm, privacy and confidentiality are of high importance; therefore, its offices cannot have a completely open culture and have to incorporate soundproof walls to ensure complete privacy. For a call centre firm, audio and video inputs are of critical importance, and this has to be factored into the design. There isn’t one open layout format that will work for all organisations,” says Rawal.