| 1. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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Appropriation of an Activity-based Flexible Office in Daily Work
- 2018
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Ingår i: Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies. - 2245-0157. ; 8:S3, s. 71-94
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In recent years, there has been growing interest in collaborative consumption of office environments and thereby implementation of Activity-based Flexible Offices (A-FOs). Relocating to an A-FO introduces a desk-sharing policy as well as a multitude of new workspaces with different speech policies into the employee’s work context. This paper describes how employees appropriate desk-sharing and speech policies in an A-FO. The data were collected over a period of 6 months in a case organization by means of 18 shadowing sessions. The different ways in which employees appropriated the A-FO solution were (i) adopting, experimenting with, or rejecting the desk-sharing policy, and (ii) modes of interaction arising from spatial configuration and redefining speech policies. The discussion outlines the reasons behind appropriation or nonappropriation of the desk-sharing and emergent speech policies. The insights from this study provide support for organizations considering A-FOs to develop strategies for facilitating individuals’ work in these settings.
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| 2. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983
(författare)
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Exploring interdependencies between perceived visions of change and adoption of Activity-based Flexible Offices
- 2018
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Purpose: The purpose of this paper was: (i) to identify office users’ perception of the organisational motives and visions behind relocating to Activity-based Flexible Offices (A-FOs), and (ii) explore whether the users’ perception of change visions may relate to adoption of A-FOs as office innovations and/or to underlying causes of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the office solution. Design/methodology/approach: A case study approach was chosen to enable the understanding of users’ perception of change motives and its relationship with adoption of A-FOs and satisfaction or dissatisfaction with these office solutions. The case organisation was a Pharmaceutical company that had relocated a total of 160 employees to two floors of the same building. All of the employees were invited to partake in the study. The employees in floor A were relocated two years prior to the study, while the employees in floor B were relocated two months prior to the study. The data collection involved (i) semi-structured interviews with 22 employees and one process manager from the facility development group, (ii) collecting documentations regarding planning process, the solution, and earlier evaluations of the concept, and (iii) observations regarding actual use of the premises. Findings: The documentations and the interview with the process manager revealed that the organisations’ motives behind relocating to A-FOs was (i) to allow for organisational flexibility and facilitate collaboration, especially since they had a need for collocating different departments, (ii) cost-reductions by eliminating costs of moving groups and departments, and (iii) optimising use of spaces and resources. According to the majority of the interviewees (10/12) from floor A, the organisations’ motives behind relocation were to improve and facilitate collaboration and as a result achieve a more effective way to deliver their products. Their perception of organisational motives behind relocation was in line with the actual intentions. Interviewees from floor A were satisfied with the premises and felt that the A-FO solution supported their activities. On the other hand, according to all of the interviewees from floor B (two months after relocation), the motive behind relocation was to reduce costs. Their perception of change motives deviated from actual intentions. They were dissatisfied with the A-FO concept and felt that it impeded their work. While all interviewees from the first group adopted the office solution, half of the interviewees from the second group rejected the desk-sharing concept and did not switch workstations as intended. Practical implications: It is important to clearly communicate and motivate the reasons, motives and visions behind relocation to A-FOs during the implementation process. Furthermore, attention should be paid to the adoption and appropriation of A-FOs as office innovations, as this study showed that the employees who had used the A-FO for two years were more satisfied with the solution. Originality/value: This study shows that (i) employees’ perceptions of organisational motives behind relocation has relevance for satisfaction with A-FOs and compliance with desk-sharing rules, and (ii) whether time for appropriation and adoption has relevance for satisfaction with A-FOs.
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| 3. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983
(författare)
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From fading novelty effects to emergent appreciation of Activity-based Flexible Offices: Comparing the individual, organisational and spatial adaptations in two case organisations
- 2019
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Ingår i: Applied Ergonomics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0003-6870 .- 1872-9126. ; 81
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Activity-based Flexible Offices (AFOs) are innovations in workspace design that have been increasingly implemented in organisations in recent years. There are conflicting research results on the long-term consequences of implementing AFOs. This paper investigates the changes (if any) that occur over time, in: 1) employee satisfaction with AFO solutions and perceived work support, 2) ways of working and using AFOs and 3) the AFO solution. Two organisations participated in the study. The data collection involved: (i) semi-structured interviews with 26 employees and (ii) process enquiries involving the collection of secondary data and interviews with facility management teams. The findings indicate that limited options for improving an AFO solution lead to lingering work environment problems. By contrast, modifying the solution through systematic processes based on employee feedback helped resolving the initial problems. Over time, this led to an increased appreciation and a sense of collective ownership of the AFO solution.
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| 4. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983
(författare)
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PENSIERI - An Inquiry into Sketching and Modelling in Design
- 2015
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- When proposing ideas for design solutions, designers often make representations, for example sketches and models of different kinds. This thesis seeks to examine what designers do when interacting with different media to externalise their ideas, and the resources they have at their disposal. In two studies, students and experienced design practitioners were asked to describe their working processes. The first study made use of weekly design diaries of 11 masters students, collected during a seven-week project course. Furthermore, semi-structured interviews were held with 11 practitioners regarding the process of creating their latest award winning products. They discussed what they were able to achieve and how the media and representations they used enabled them to do so. The findings of these studies highlight (i) the roles of sketching, and physical and digital modelling for ideation in individual designer’s work, and (ii) some prominent qualities of media and representations that support designers during these activities, for example the extent to which they are malleable, accurate, or fixed.By providing a taxonomy for classifying various media and design representations, these findings expand on previous conceptions about sketching and modelling. An increased understanding of how ideas emerge and are materialised in the early phases of a design process, can provide opportunities for facilitating and stimulating the act of creation.
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| 5. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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Policies in Activity-based Flexible Offices -‘I am sloppy with clean-desking. We don’t really know the rules.’
- 2019
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Ingår i: Ergonomics. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0014-0139 .- 1366-5847. ; 62:1, s. 1-20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Activity-based Flexible Offices (A-FOs) are offices with unassigned desks that provide a variety of workspaces. This paper presents desk-sharing and speech rules identified in A-FOs in four Swedish organisations, the emergence of and compliance with these rules, and their consequences for work conditions. Data collection involved 105 semi-structured interviews, document analyses, and observations. The identified rules were: (1) to remove belongings, (2) temporal restrictions on using the same workstations, (3) temporal restrictions on using scarce zones, (4) restrictions on verbal interactions, and (5) restrictions on phone conversations. The cases with extensive user involvement in their planning process had explicit unambiguous rules. A better compliance with rules occurred when (i) the employees were well-prepared and had a unified understanding regarding how and why to follow the rules, (ii) the rules were explicitly communicated and were regarded as easy to follow, and (iii) following the rules facilitated work and improved work conditions.
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| 6. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983
(författare)
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The Quest for the Room of Requirement - Why Some Activity-based Flexible Offices Work While Others Do Not
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overarching purpose of this thesis is to develop further knowledge of the consequences of relocating to Activity-based Flexible Offices (AFOs). As workspace design innovations, AFOs are increasingly implemented in organisations. AFOs comprise a variety of workspaces for employees to choose from depending on their preferences or activities. Workspaces in AFOs are shared, instead of every employee having their own desk. Research results are inconsistent regarding employee satisfaction with AFOs, and research into employees’ appropriation of AFOs and organisations’ processes of adopting AFOs is sparse. In response to these knowledge gaps, the thesis aims to explain why some AFOs work while others do not. The thesis builds on five case studies: (i) three cases with recently implemented AFOs, and (ii) two cases with AFOs implemented at least two years prior to the study. Data collection in all the case studies involved semi-structured interviews with employees and facility managers, observations and collection of secondary data such as process overviews, and layout drawings. For data collection and analysis, a theoretical framework was developed and used consisting of Activity Theory, artefact ecology, as well as theories of innovation adoption and appropriation. The findings show that individuals’ usage of AFOs varies considerably due to personal circumstances and work-related preconditions. Drawing on Activity Theory, three types of matches/mismatches were identified in employees’ activity systems: Employee ↔ AFO, Activity ↔ AFO, and Employee ↔ Activity. Furthermore, individuals’ usage preferences and non-preferences highlighted sub-optimal design features in the AFOs: (a) ambiguity and insufficient communication of rules; (b) undesirable ambient features; (c) exposure to stimuli; (d) difficult to interpret workspaces; and (e) dysfunctionality and insufficiency of the collective instruments. In summary, AFOs work in the absence of mismatches related to individuals’ personal and work-related preconditions and sub-optimal design features. The employees’ processes of appropriating AFOs involved first encounters, exploration, and stable phases, during which various types of adaptations occurred: (i) on an individual level: acquired insights, and behavioural, social and hedonic adaptations, as well as (ii) in the AFO solutions: rule-related, spatial and instrument adaptations. Furthermore, the AFO adoption process in organisations varied considerably. Procedural shortcomings during the planning process led to a limited understanding of AFO users and thus the sub-optimal AFO designs, while shortcomings during the routinising stage involved restrictions on making post-relocation improvements in AFOs and inadequate Occupational Health & Safety management. To conclude, AFOs work provided (i) they match individuals’ personal circumstances and work-related preconditions; (ii) they facilitate flexibility and shared use of spaces through well-designed rules, workspaces and instruments; (iii) individuals’ appropriation processes reach a stable phase where mismatches are resolved and fruitful symbiosis is achieved in their activity systems; and (iv) the organisations’ process of adopting AFOs is successful both during the planning and the post-relocation routinising stages, leading to a collective sense of ownership among employees.
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| 7. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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Use profiles in Activity-based Flexible Offices – A case study
- 2017
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Ingår i: Nordic Ergonomics Society (NES2017) Conference Proceedings; A-L. Osvalder, M. Blomé, and H. Bodnar (Eds.), 20-23 August, Lund. p. 197-204. (2017). - 9789177531524 ; , s. 6-
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this paper is to investigate whether the users in an Activity-based flexible office follow the intended desk-sharing policy, and further explore if any use patterns emerge regarding workstation choices and preferences. Survey data was collected at a case organisation in Sweden. From all the 66 employees that had been relocated and received the survey electronically, 46 respondents completed the survey. The majority of the respondents followed the desk-sharing policy and did not claim workstations. Motives for switching workstations and workstation choices were related to the nature of respondents’ activities (e.g. temporal conditions), as well as their preferences.
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| 8. |
- Cobaleda Cordero, Antonio, 1985, et al.
(författare)
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Discrepancies between intended and actual use in Activity-based Flexible Offices - A literature review
- 2017
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Ingår i: NES 2017. 20-23 August 2017. Lund.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the literature addressing A-FOs, with a focus on use patterns and work conditions. The findings show that A-FOs are not always used as intended: territorial behaviours and nesting habits were recurrent in several studies. In this regard, understanding employees’ job characteristics is essential for optimal configuration of A-FOs, e.g. the type, attributes and number of workspaces. Additionally, employees´ needs, spatial factors and implementation processes require special attention in order to provide supportive office environments.
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| 9. |
- Ljungblad, Sara, 1977, et al.
(författare)
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What Negative Space has to do with Design Fixations in HCI Research
- 2018
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Ingår i: Addressing designed form - demarcating design.. - Kolding : Design School Kolding. - 9788793416321
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Human Computer Interaction (HCI) is a design-oriented research field, articulating and contributing to design knowledge. This research field has its own perspective of what a relevant design solution is or which design methods that are suitable, which does not necessarily match how for example industrial designers would understand or describe design. We aim to extract the core of design as an activity, in order to clarify what design skills may involve. This paper describes design activities, and articulates how negative space as an artistic skill is a prerequisite to achieve re-framing a design situation and to facilitate successful co-creation of wicked design challenges. The notion of negative space is traditionally associated to art and perception, for example used in professional practices in music, art and design. We illustrate how making use of negative space supports avoiding design fixations, and increase the chance of successfully addressing wicked design problems, such as sustainable solutions for societal challenges. We argue that HCI research would benefit from understanding and applying negative space in design challenges and illustrate how this can be done.
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| 10. |
- Rolfö, Linda, et al.
(författare)
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Policies for sharing workspaces in activity-based flex offices
- 2017
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Ingår i: Organizing for High Performance. ; , s. 339-244
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Policies for maintaining non-territoriality (desk-sharing and clean desk policies) and for maintaining zones with different sound levels vary between activity-based flex offices. Five policies were identified as crucial for making the activity-based office concept work. In cases without explicitly expressed policies employees reported uncertainties and interpretations of how to act in the office.
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