Comments on: Wanna Get Lean? Take Down the Walls! http://www.reformingprojectmanagement.com/2006/01/25/582/ The magazine for the project age Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:34:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: Henrik Mårtensson http://www.reformingprojectmanagement.com/2006/01/25/582/#comment-2742 Wed, 01 Feb 2006 22:42:31 +0000 http://www.reformingprojectmanagement.com/2006/01/25/582/#comment-2742 Until recently, I worked at a company that had a "no walls" policy. Two departments worked in one, very big room. The room was divided into square cells, with four developers in each cell. The developers sat in the corners of each cell, so that people in one cell all faced away from each other. On one hand, this made communication very difficult. It was impossible to know what your cell mates were doing, and no one started conversations with other people, because they could not see them. On the other hand, that didn't matter much, because people in the same team were not seated in the same cell. Each person had his or her fixed place, and it was not supposed to change due to trivialities like working on the same team or project. The team I was working with managed to get out of there. For half a year, we sat together, 3 people, in a conference room the size of a cupboard, with no ventilation. Still, we counted ourselves fortunate, because we could talk, and we could help each other. In the open, but incredibly rigid, environment, that just wasn't possible. The only really decent work environment I've seen recently was one where the management let the developers decide for themselves what they wanted. As a result, the developers rearranged furniture and screens to fit changing circumstances. Sometimes walls, sometimes not. As far as I could see (I just visited, haven't worked there) always an environment conducive to communication. Until recently, I worked at a company that had a “no walls” policy. Two departments worked in one, very big room. The room was divided into square cells, with four developers in each cell. The developers sat in the corners of each cell, so that people in one cell all faced away from each other.

On one hand, this made communication very difficult. It was impossible to know what your cell mates were doing, and no one started conversations with other people, because they could not see them.

On the other hand, that didn’t matter much, because people in the same team were not seated in the same cell. Each person had his or her fixed place, and it was not supposed to change due to trivialities like working on the same team or project.

The team I was working with managed to get out of there. For half a year, we sat together, 3 people, in a conference room the size of a cupboard, with no ventilation. Still, we counted ourselves fortunate, because we could talk, and we could help each other. In the open, but incredibly rigid, environment, that just wasn’t possible.

The only really decent work environment I’ve seen recently was one where the management let the developers decide for themselves what they wanted. As a result, the developers rearranged furniture and screens to fit changing circumstances. Sometimes walls, sometimes not. As far as I could see (I just visited, haven’t worked there) always an environment conducive to communication.

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