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Peopleware is among the best books about teams that I encourage all aspiring managers to read. One point to emphasize is why the authors believe individual off
by yajoe 13y ago
Peopleware is among the best books about teams that I encourage all aspiring managers to read.
One point to emphasize is why the authors believe individual offices work: quiet. There is a story about about a programming competition, and in the narrative programmers in quiet spaces performed better than their peers, even controlling for experience and skill.
Back then there weren't headphones or django (I kid, I kid!), but I don't think either work as well as my open-plan colleagues would like us to believe :) My open plan office at Amazon had a gorgeous view of lake union, but sat alongside the Mercer construction and ambulance route -- beyond annoying and distracting.
Perhaps I just haven't had the right quiet open plan experience?
- phillmv 13y agoI went and visited a friend at the New York Times building last year. Between TV and my own experience working around writers, I expected it to be a busy and loud environment as I walked into the beautiful ENORMOUS OPEN FLOORS that building seems to consist of. They had a made the best hack of all time in my opinion: everyone worked in dead silence. I was around a hundred people but you could hear a pin drop and I quickly felt uncomfortable chatting with my friend using my normal speaking voice. THAT I think is how you do it. Just culturally enforce total and utter respect for the environment. Don't take phone calls. Don't chat loudly around people's desks. Focus on your own work.
- dredmorbius 13y agoAnd that still highlights the problem with open plan: acres and distraction, but no way to collaborrate without disturbing others. Might as well take phones away if you can't use them.