| Abstract |
Learning from each other, mutual inspiration, interactive exchange and innovative solutions: Companies have recently been leaning more towards new spatial concepts to design agile and flexible workspaces (The Berlin Smart City Vision. A discourse-analytical future research, Institut Futur, Berlin, 2017). These can be conceived as open space offices, designed as open and flexible working landscapes (Work of the Future: Digital, Multi-local, Dynamic. Theses and design approaches for the workplace of the future, ISF Munich, Munich, 2018). This paper presents the results of an empirical research study in which the phenomenon of "Open Space" is investigated from a sociology of work perspective. The focus is on the practice of Open Space: what motives and reasons do companies see for introducing these offices? How do employees shape their work under the work-organizational changes? What challenges do employees face here and how are they solved? These questions will be answered on the basis of empirical data (interviews with employees and change facilitators). In dealing with the changed work environment, areas of tension can be worked out, which are then discussed taking into account theories of the sociology of work and concepts of the subjectification of work. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Fachmedien. |
