|
About the office cubicle...
The office cubicle: Famed in story and song; immortalized on screen and stage; popularized in office buildings worldwide; made famous by Herman Miller®, and infamous by Dilbert. By most accounts office cubicle systems are among the most useful, yet the most disliked, furniture items on the planet, and maybe even the galaxy. Modular office furniture may be the most controversial type of furniture ever invented, and it is certainly the most controversial furniture idea ever mass produced.
Office cubicle history starts in the middle of the 20th century, with the generally-accepted inventor being Robert Probst, who designed the first prototypes for Herman Miller in the 60’s. Herman Miller® went on to produce the Action Office® line of cubicle office furniture based on those designs, and to say that it’s been a successful venture would be a serious understatement. Today, office cubicle systems are everywhere. They are in nearly every office building in every city, state, and country on the planet. The development of the office cubicle has created huge, fundamental changes in the way most of us do our work, and for some of us, it has even affected what we do for a living.
More than any other factor, your opinion of cubicles may be influenced by your role in your company. As an employee, you may see the office cubicle as a somewhat boring - even restrictive - place where you end up "doing time" 40 hours per week. As an owner or manager, however, your role may give you additional insight into the benefits of using cubicles to fulfill needs related not only to the working-space requirements of your employees, but also to office culture. The goal of every manager should be to efficiently and equitably apportion workspace to each employee as a semi-private environment where all the necessary tools are readily at hand. The office cubicle makes this possible while remaining affordable.
Discussions on the merits of the office cubicle will continue for decades to come, but one thing is certain: With preferences and points of view as diverse as the workforce itself, there’s simply no way to give everyone everything they want in a workspace. Until we figure out a way to do that, the office cubicle will continue to be the best alternative.
|