Designing for interaction in research environments: A case study

Graduate researchers are an essential part of higher education (HE) in terms of its contribution to knowledge and the wider economy, but how the work environment influences behaviour and productivity in this work domain is poorly understood. Nevertheless, building programmes continue with a detectable trend towards more open office designs. Beyond issues of cost-efficiency, this reflects a popular belief in the significance of face-to-face interaction to research productivity. Using a combination of subjective and quantitative methods, this case study investigates the validity of this claim and how a redesigned environment impacts upon work practices and collaboration within a community of researchers. Although the new environment was judged favourably by occupants and managers, analysis suggests a less positive behavioural response. Contrary to expectation, we conclude that providing open plan environments is not sufficient to produce more collaborative practices in HE. We argue that this would require changes in the organisational structure, the reward structure for individual and team-driven tasks, and the firm policing of the management of change.