Activity-based working and their impact on organisational culture – employees’ perspectives

Nanayakkara, K; Wilkinson, SJ; Halvitigala, D

Activity-based working and their impact on organisational culture – employees’ perspectives

Nanayakkara, K Wilkinson, SJ Halvitigala, D

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Publisher:: EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LTD
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Facilities, 2023, 41, (13-14), pp. 1018-1035
Issue Date:: 2023-11-08

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Nanayakkara, K
dc.contributor.author	Wilkinson, SJ
dc.contributor.author	Halvitigala, D
dc.date.accessioned	2024-01-05T06:54:12Z
dc.date.available	2024-01-05T06:54:12Z
dc.date.issued	2023-11-08
dc.identifier.citation	Facilities, 2023, 41, (13-14), pp. 1018-1035
dc.identifier.issn	0263-2772
dc.identifier.issn	1758-7131
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/174038
dc.description.abstract	Purpose: This paper aims to examine how the existing organisational culture of organisations changed with the introduction of activity-based working (ABW) office layouts from the employees’ perspectives. Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire was used to measure the influence of introducing ABW. The study focused on three different industry sectors in Australia – financial, IT and government – and one organisation from each sector who had introduced ABW during the period of 2012–2019 was selected. The Competing Value Framework was used to measure the dimensions of organisational culture. A paired sample test was used to measure the changes in employees’ perceptions after the layout changes. Findings: Findings identify that the nature of workplace designs has a considerable impact on an organisation’s corporate culture which can be used to leverage and change its culture. However, some noticeable discrepancy between the perceptions of public and private sector employees was identified, where public sector employees felt that standardised procedures still governed their actions even in ABW layouts. Originality/value: This research highlights that workplace designs directly influence culture by supporting the engagement, motivation and behaviours of the employees. It emphasises the importance of in-depth examination of the behavioural and attitudinal characteristics of employees to obtain a better understanding of how they interact in ABW layouts. Such an analysis provides the context for a more inclusive understanding of the operation of modern office layouts.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LTD
dc.relation.ispartof	Facilities
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1108/F-03-2023-0017
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess
dc.subject	1202 Building, 1503 Business and Management
dc.subject.classification	3302 Building
dc.subject.classification	3507 Strategy, management and organisational behaviour
dc.title	Activity-based working and their impact on organisational culture – employees’ perspectives
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	41
utslib.for	1202 Building
utslib.for	1503 Business and Management
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building/School of Built Environment
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CCDP - Contemporary Design Practice
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/e-Press
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - VI - Visualisation Institute
utslib.copyright.status	in_progress	*
dc.date.updated	2024-01-05T06:54:10Z
pubs.issue	13-14
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	41
utslib.citation.issue	13-14

Abstract:

Purpose: This paper aims to examine how the existing organisational culture of organisations changed with the introduction of activity-based working (ABW) office layouts from the employees’ perspectives. Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire was used to measure the influence of introducing ABW. The study focused on three different industry sectors in Australia – financial, IT and government – and one organisation from each sector who had introduced ABW during the period of 2012–2019 was selected. The Competing Value Framework was used to measure the dimensions of organisational culture. A paired sample test was used to measure the changes in employees’ perceptions after the layout changes. Findings: Findings identify that the nature of workplace designs has a considerable impact on an organisation’s corporate culture which can be used to leverage and change its culture. However, some noticeable discrepancy between the perceptions of public and private sector employees was identified, where public sector employees felt that standardised procedures still governed their actions even in ABW layouts. Originality/value: This research highlights that workplace designs directly influence culture by supporting the engagement, motivation and behaviours of the employees. It emphasises the importance of in-depth examination of the behavioural and attitudinal characteristics of employees to obtain a better understanding of how they interact in ABW layouts. Such an analysis provides the context for a more inclusive understanding of the operation of modern office layouts.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/174038