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You could say that a library on a college campus is sort of like an open office. At least my university's library did have several large, open rooms with lots o

by nilkn 10y ago

You could say that a library on a college campus is sort of like an open office. At least my university's library did have several large, open rooms with lots of desks. But, lo and behold, there's a huge emphasis on being quiet, and you can even be asked to leave if you don't cooperate. Also, my school's library wasn't just an open layout. There were tons of desks in little alcoves and hidden corners all throughout the multi-story building. There were also lots of completely enclosed, private rooms that you could rent for hours on end if you needed lots of verbal collaboration. Very rarely (basically never) have I seen an open office that was as well-designed as that library was with the same emphasis on quietness in the open portion of the office.

VLM 10y ago
And all the propaganda about open offices claims transparent collaboration, so you can either run the OO like a silent library and gain no advantage from it because you've virtualized the remote experience and centralized it, or run it like a frat house party in which case no one will accomplish anything other than great piles of transparent collaboration, which won't pay the bills.
pasbesoin 10y ago
At the time I attended, my college's library had been recently remodeled to provide a bunch of "open" study-/work-space. They were very proud of this, and it was part of a campus mindset of "collaboration is the future." In retrospect, this ended up being quite damaging for me. I spent a lot of effort trying to "adapt" myself to those workspaces and that working style. Often when a setting/assignment left me no other choice. This made me very worried about myself and my future, because -- try as I might -- I just couldn't do it. On the other hand, and at the same time, give me a quiet, undisturbed workspace, and I'd blow the curve. Literally -- I had professors tell me that I was getting 105%, 112%, whatever, in what were considered to be very demanding classes. This "open" mindset was prevalent everywhere, and -- like "Java is the future" -- permeated not just workplace but also educational institutions and even popular culture. In short, in academia just as much as in the work world, I found lots of authority figures and institutions dictating to me how I was "supposed to be." And a lot of that came out of current trends -- as bad as this year's "mind the gap" corporate best seller self-help book. The counter-culture "revolution" of the '60's and '70's did get one thing right, with their moniker of "The Man." You can't just escape The Man. But it is healthy to take his advice with skepticism and to find your own way. Something that e.g. a liberal education purports to teach you. (But too often doesn't -- especially not in terms of your actual day-to-day life, by example, while under its tutelage.) The Man is always going to tell you "how it is, how it's going to be". It's up to you to say no, and to stand by that. If someone teaches you this, early on, thank them -- once you realize it. Work the way that works for you. While you're still young and "footloose" and have the ability, walk away from situations that oppose this. I remember, during one aspect of my corporate career, during a 5 minute conversation and description of a tool, making a consultant's life quite considerably easier and more productive. A tool they, by virtue of their... frankly, social position and respect granted by the institution -- a tool they had budget for, while I did not. Management was very happy with them, while I continued to get by on the whatever % increases were handed down from on high. I should have been on the other side of that equation. Effectively, I introduced the tool. I should have reaped the consultant's reward and respect. But I'd been too well taught to struggle within the ill-fitting system that is "how it is." To the point where I was trapped by my own thinking and emotion. Work remotely, if it's what works for you. Before you can't.

by nilkn 10y ago

VLM 10y ago

And all the propaganda about open offices claims transparent collaboration, so you can either run the OO like a silent library and gain no advantage from it because you've virtualized the remote experience and centralized it, or run it like a frat house party in which case no one will accomplish anything other than great piles of transparent collaboration, which won't pay the bills.

pasbesoin 10y ago

At the time I attended, my college's library had been recently remodeled to provide a bunch of "open" study-/work-space. They were very proud of this, and it was part of a campus mindset of "collaboration is the future." In retrospect, this ended up being quite damaging for me. I spent a lot of effort trying to "adapt" myself to those workspaces and that working style. Often when a setting/assignment left me no other choice. This made me very worried about myself and my future, because -- try as I might -- I just couldn't do it. On the other hand, and at the same time, give me a quiet, undisturbed workspace, and I'd blow the curve. Literally -- I had professors tell me that I was getting 105%, 112%, whatever, in what were considered to be very demanding classes. This "open" mindset was prevalent everywhere, and -- like "Java is the future" -- permeated not just workplace but also educational institutions and even popular culture. In short, in academia just as much as in the work world, I found lots of authority figures and institutions dictating to me how I was "supposed to be." And a lot of that came out of current trends -- as bad as this year's "mind the gap" corporate best seller self-help book. The counter-culture "revolution" of the '60's and '70's did get one thing right, with their moniker of "The Man." You can't just escape The Man. But it is healthy to take his advice with skepticism and to find your own way. Something that e.g. a liberal education purports to teach you. (But too often doesn't -- especially not in terms of your actual day-to-day life, by example, while under its tutelage.) The Man is always going to tell you "how it is, how it's going to be". It's up to you to say no, and to stand by that. If someone teaches you this, early on, thank them -- once you realize it. Work the way that works for you. While you're still young and "footloose" and have the ability, walk away from situations that oppose this. I remember, during one aspect of my corporate career, during a 5 minute conversation and description of a tool, making a consultant's life quite considerably easier and more productive. A tool they, by virtue of their... frankly, social position and respect granted by the institution -- a tool they had budget for, while I did not. Management was very happy with them, while I continued to get by on the whatever % increases were handed down from on high. I should have been on the other side of that equation. Effectively, I introduced the tool. I should have reaped the consultant's reward and respect. But I'd been too well taught to struggle within the ill-fitting system that is "how it is." To the point where I was trapped by my own thinking and emotion. Work remotely, if it's what works for you. Before you can't.