Bakin%HI-MULTICS@sri-unix.UUCP (03/10/84)
From: Jerry Bakin <Bakin @ HI-MULTICS>
I am trying to change the "Standard Cube" where I work on the basis that
it is too small, provides insufficient resources, and hence depresses
employee productivity.
To prove this, I am trying to write a small research paper showing the
effects of certain resources on worker productivity.
I have only one small problem:
I know nothing about this.
I have developed two lists to help me, a list of questions I would like
to answer, and a list of places to look for answers. I would like to
include these two lists here, and ask for the net response. Any other
questions that need to be answered? Any more places to look for
responses? Do you know of any specific studies (hopefully supportive)
that respond to these questions. While I have a vested interest
pertaining to software engineering, I am looking for any information
that is available.
While I would also like to know what the standards are at your company
is, I would first like to make a standard machine analyzable
questionaire which I hope to post to the net in two weeks.
Of course, a summary will be posted in human-nets, but don't expect one
soon. Also, I would appreciate mail sent to:
Bakin @ HI-Multics
In all of this I am trying to show that Maximum Productivity does imply
a need for employee comfort.
List of Questions to be examined:
o What is Productivity?
o What is Efficiency?
o How are creature comforts taken into place in
Productivity and/or Efficiency?
o What is the Productivity Equation?
o What is the Efficiency Equation?
o How much floor space is needed per employee for maximum
Productivity/Efficiency?
o How much unoccupied floor space?
o How much table/desk space?
o How much clear table/desk space?
o How much storage space? (bookshelves, filing cabinets)
o What questionaires have been designed for these studies?
o What questions should be included in such studies?
Software Engineering adds the following Questions:
o How much computing power per engineer?
o How many engineers per terminal?
o How much table space near each terminal?
o What kind of hardcopy power?
o Power of Terminals?
o How should terminals be arranged? Terminal Rooms, or A Terminal on
every Desk?
List of Places to Look for Answers: (Note how blank these are, do you know
where I should look for these?)
Productivity Studies: (Where would I find these?)
Human Factors Studies: ""
Quality of Work Life Studies: ""
Work Station Justifications: ""
Are there studies specific to:
Engineers? ""
Software engineers? ""
Okay, where would YOU begin?
Jerry.andrew@inmet.UUCP (03/21/84)
#R:sri-arpa:-1763300:inmet:10000002:000:90 inmet!andrew Mar 20 15:57:00 1984 "They paid attention to us" is known to industrial psychologists as the Hawthorne effect.
POURNE%MIT-MC@sri-unix.UUCP (03/23/84)
From: Jerry E. Pournelle <POURNE @ MIT-MC> ALAS! I can show you studies that demonstrate great increases in productivity if you enclose each engineer in a cubicle. I can also show you studies that show great increases in productivity if you knock down all th partition walls and put all the engineers in one big bull pen. It's entirely possible that the relevant variable is "they paid attention to us!" --- anyway, alas, the results of all the studies on productivity and work space design contradict each other. It depends on which consultants the managers have paid a lot of money to as to what they do...