MANAGEMENT AND CHANGE IN OFFICE ENVIRONMENTS

The majority of research on offices focuses on the physical aspects of those environments. While this has led to important discoveries, within Environmental Psychology there has generally been a neglect of the critical management and organizational processes that shape the use of office environments. This paper examines the beliefs and practices of facilities managers. The research adopts a qualitative, in-depth case study design. Approximately 40 people were interviewed from each organization at three points in time. Interviews lasted between one and three hours. Analysis of the interviews revealed a set of beliefs held by facilities management teams that shaped their decision making about the office. These beliefs resulted in them being less responsive to the dynamic and organic qualities of the organization and worker’s requirements. © 1994 Academic Press Ltd.