Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal (한국실내디자인학회논문집)

Korean Institute of Interior Design (한국실내디자인학회)
권호 표지

Interrelated effects of control, flexibility and distraction on work outcomes

사무공간내의 공간통제, 공간융통성 및 산만함이 업무에 미치는 영향

  • Lee So-Young (Aubum University, Dept. consumer Affairs, Interior Design)
  • Published : 2005.04.01
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Subsequent to major changes in workplace such as communication method, uncertain organizational environment, and globalizaiton, several studies in workplace have explored the effects of those changes on work outcomes. Especially, employees need to have the balance in working alone and working with others. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of control over the physical environment by individuals and the effects of flexibility on individual and group work outcomes in the workplace, to examine the effects of distraction on work outcomes, and to suggest a interrelationships among variables. In this study, four hundred and nine questionnaires were collected from employees of three manufacturing corporations in Michigan, U. S. In order to explore the causal interferences among multiple relationships suggested in this study, path analysis was employed using Lisrel 8.54. The results indicated that control over the physical environmental features of the workplace positively influenced job satisfaction. The findings also supported the hypothesis that flexibility is positively related to task group cohesiveness. It was found that distraction was negatively associated with control and flexibility. However, it was not supported that control was positively associated with perceived performance. This study found control and flexibility in the workplace to be important. Some practical implications were suggested emphasizing that control and flexibility allow limited resources to be used in ways that permit individuals to work effectively within a changing work environment.

Keywords

References

  1. Allen, V. L., & Greenberger, D. B. Destruction and perceived control, In A. Baum, & J. E. Singer (Eds.), Advances in Environmental Psychology, vol 2, Applications of personal control. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1980
  2. Barnes, R. D. Perceived freedom and control in the built environment. In J. H. Harvey (eds.), Cognition, Social Behavior, and the Environment, 1981
  3. Becker, F. Office at work, uncommon workplace strategies that add value and improve performance. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2004
  4. Ferguson, G. S., & Weisman, G. D. Alternative approaches to the assessment of employee satisfaction with the office environment, In J. D. Wineman (Eds.), Behavioral issues in office design, New York : Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1986
  5. Hair, J. Anderson, R, Tatham, R., & Black, W. Multivariate data analysis, 5th ed. Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 1998
  6. Lee, Q., Amundsen, A. E., Nelson, W., & Tuttle, H. Facilities and workplace design, An illustrated guide. Georgia: Engineering & Management Press, 1997
  7. Sundstrom, E. Work places: The psychology of the physical environment in offices and factories, 1986
  8. Widmayer, W. N., Brawley, L. R., & Carron, A.V. The measurement of cohesion in sport team: The group environment questionnaire. London. Ontario: Sports Dynamics, 19155
  9. Paciuk, M. The role of personal control of the environment in thermal comfort and satisfaction at the workplace, Unpublished dissertation. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 1989
  10. Bachman, J. G., Smith, C. G., & Slesinger, J. A. Control, performance and satisfaction: an analysis of structural and individual effects, Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, Vol.4, No.2, 1996
  11. Berndt, A Flexibility in e-commerce office planning. Facility Management Journal, 2000
  12. Brennan, A., Chugh, J., & Kline, T. Traditional versus open office design, a longitudinal field study. Environment and Behavior, Vol.34, No.3, 2002
  13. Brookes, M. J. & Kaplan, A. The office environment: Space planning and affective behavior. Human Factors, Vol.14, No.5, 1972
  14. Canter, D. Reaction to open plan offices. Built Environment, Vol.1, 1972
  15. Carless, S. A, & DePaola, C. The measurement of cohesion in work teams, Small group research, Vol.31 , No.1, 2000
  16. Greenberger, D. B., Strasser, S., Cummings, L.L., & Dunham, R. B. The impact of personal control on performance and satisfaction. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Vol.43, 1989
  17. Hedge, A The open-plan office, a systematic investigation of employee reaction to their work environment. Environment & Behavior, Vol.14, No.5, 1982
  18. Kjellberg, A., Landstrom, U., Tesarz, M., Soderberg, L., & Akerlund, E. The effects of nonphysical noise characteristics, ongoing task and noise sensitivity on annoyance and distraction due to noise at work. Journal of Environmental Psychology, Vol. 16, 1996
  19. MacLaney, M. A., & Hurrell, J. J. Control, stress, and job satisfaction in Canadian nurses. Work and Stress, Vol.2, 1988
  20. McCarrey, M. W., Peterson, L., Edwards, S. & Von Kulmiz, P. Landscape office attitudes: Reflections of perceived degree of control over transactions with the environment. Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol.59, 1974
  21. Olson, J. Research about office workplace activities important to US business-and how to support them. Journal of Facilities Management, Vol.1,No.1, 2002
  22. Robertson, K. Work transformation: integrating people, space and technology, Facilities, Vol.18, 2000
  23. Roelofsen, P. The impact of office environments on employee performance: The design of the workplace as a strategy for productivity enhancement. Journal of Facilities Management, Vol.1,No.3, 2003
  24. Sargent, L. D., & Terry, D. J. The effects of work control and job demands on employee adjustment and work performance. Journal of Occupational and of Organizational Psychology, Vol.71, The British Psychology Society, 1998
  25. Sparks, K., Faragher, B., & Cooper, C. L. Well-being and occupational health in the 21st century workplace. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, Vol.74, 2001
  26. Spector, P. E. Perceived control by employees: A meta-analysis of studies concerning autonomy and participation at work, Human Relations, Vol.39, No.11, 1986
  27. Stone, N. J., & Irvine, J. M. Performance, mood, satisfaction, and task type in various work environments: a preliminary study. Journal of General Psychology, Vol.120, 1994
  28. Sundstrom, E., Town, J., Rice R., Osborn, D., & Brill, M. Office noise, satisfaction, and performance. Environment & Behavior, Vol.26, No.2, 1994
  29. Veitch, J. A., & Gifford, R. Choice, perceived control, and performance decrements in the physical environment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, Vol.16, 1996
  30. Veitch, J. A., & Newsham, G. R. Exercised control, lighting choices and energy use: an office simulation experiment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, Vol.20, 2000
  31. Wineman, J. D., Office design and evaluation, an overview, Environment & Behavior, Vol.14, No.3, 1982
  32. Zahn, G. L., Face to face communication in an office setting, the effects of position, proximity, and exposure, Communication Research, Vol.18,No.6, 1991
  33. Brenner, P., & Cornell, P. The balance between privacy and collaboration in knowledge worker teams. In the Proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium on Human Factors in Organizational Design and Management, Stockholm, Sweden 1994(2000,11.8 발췌 from http://www.steelcase.com/knowledgebase/balance.htp)