Optimizing the knowledge work environment : strategies for enhancing knowledge worker productivity

Abstract

The built environment has a significant impact on knowledge workers' productivity. Work environments should be designed to address the needs of the workers who inhabit the space to ensure optimal effectiveness in executing their work tasks, thereby increasing their productivity. This paper proposes a user-centered process for workspace design that would allow organizations to improve the capabilities of their work environment continually and address the needs of knowledge workers. A structured literature review was conducted to identify principles for effective workplace design as well as dimensions for testing workplace usability. A focus group was facilitated to enrich the findings emanating from the literature review, where the love and breakup letter method (LBM) was implemented to elicit the needs of office workers. The findings determined that the most significant negative impact on knowledge worker productivity was the implementation of a hot-desk system, and suggested a move towards activity-based workspaces.