Skip the navigation

Private office or cubicle: The debate goes on

An office can shut out distractions but stifle communication among coders

January 9, 2006 12:00 PM ET
Jim Cooper in his office
Jim Cooper in his office

Computerworld - Jim Cooper considers himself one lucky software developer.

He works in a private office at SAS Institute Inc. in Cary, N.C., with a radio playing in the background, and he takes calls on a speakerphone. It's an environment that makes him far more productive than he would be working in a cubicle, he says.

"You have the ability shut your door and shut out most of the distractions," said Cooper, "and if you're more comfortable, you are usually more productive."

Cooper isn't alone in his belief that an enclosed office can boost developer productivity.

John Miano, founder of The Programmers Guild in Summit, N.J., also believes that software development operations would improve if employers provided a workspace that offered peace and quiet.

"It's my personal view that we have twice as many software developers in this country as we need," Miano said. The H1-B visa program "has destroyed the entry-level job market," said Miano, who authored a report for the Center for Immigration studies in Washington that was released last month.

He argues that businesses should focus on improving productivity and not on hiring cheap labor and offshoring jobs. Improved development tools, processes and better work environments could reduce development costs, Miano said.

Something as simple as "getting rid of cubicles and replacing them with enclosed offices" can boost productivity by eliminating distractions, he said.

Others, however, say working in open spaces can improve communication between developers, which is vital for most large projects.

For example, Altair Engineering Inc. opted for an open environment in an building it opened two years ago in Troy, Mich. With a three-story atrium that lets in natural light, the building features open areas shared by developers and their managers, said Michael Kidder, vice president for corporate marketing at the software development firm.

"We find that the open area provides a lot more communication between team members, which is critical to the quality of software," Kidder said. "That feedback loop is very hard to structure."

William Sims, a Cornell University professor who has studied workplace environments and software development, says his research found that open environments are more conducive to project development work.

Developers in private offices may be more productive individually but may not be in sync with a team, said Sims. Nonetheless, most software engineers still have "this firmly ingrained belief" that they need an enclosed office in order to be productive, he said.

Walt Scacchi, acting director and a research scientist at the Institute for Software Research at the University of California, Irvine, said office design boils down to economic issues for many companies.

In addition, some software development firms view offices as a perk for managers and put developers in open environments. On the other hand, some companies see offices as a recruiting perk, he said.

See what some Computerworld.com readers had to say on this issue - and post your own thoughts - in our Mailbag blog.

Read more about Management and Careers in Computerworld's Management and Careers Topic Center.



What is Tech Briefcase?
TechBriefcase is a new, free service where IT Professionals can Search, Store and Share IT white papers and content like this. Learn more
Bookmark content
Speed up your research efforts with content across the web.
Search and Store
Find the white papers you need. Create folders for any topic.
View Anywhere
Open your briefcase on your iPhone, tablet or desktop. Share with colleagues.
Don't have an account yet?
Additional Resources
Security KnowledgeVault
WHITE PAPER
Security is not an option. This KnowledgeVault Series offers professional advice how to be proactive in the fight against cybercrimes and multi-layered security threats; how to adopt a holistic approach to protecting and managing data; and how to hire a qualified security assessor. Make security your Number 1 priority.

Read now.

Cut Communications Costs Once and for All
WHITE PAPER
New IP-based communications systems are being deployed by small and midsized businesses at a rapid rate. Learn how these organizations are enabling faster responsiveness, creating better customer experiences, speeding office or mobile interactions, and dramatically reducing existing communications costs.

Read now.

Careers White Papers
A "YouTube-like" Experience For Employees
Leading research firms are predicting that video is becoming a key component of workplace collaboration. More and more, employees are creating and sharing...
A Comprehensive Framework for Securing Virtualized Data Centers
Understand the real need for security solutions that can address the reality of expanding virtualization. You will also learn how HP TippingPoint's secure...
Forrester on the Converged Infrastructure
To understand infrastructure and operations (I&O) perceptions of converged infrastructure (CI), Forrester Consulting surveyed 200 I&O decision-makers from six different countries. Decision-makers were...
IDC White Paper: Delivering an Integrated Infrastructure for the Cloud
In an IDC White Paper sponsored by HP, IDC covers how cloud computing is one of the prevailing IT trends today and how...
Gartner on the Network Infrastructure Market
The network infrastructure market has evolved rapidly, from one in which most organizations adhered to a single-vendor architecture to a more business-driven network...
All Careers White Papers
Careers Webcasts
Operational Analytics - Changing the Competitive Dynamics of the Business
Date/Time: June 5, 2012, 11:00 a.m., EDT, 4:00 p.m. BST / 3:00 p.m. UTC

Please join us for this webcast, as Dr. Barry...
A Geek's Guide to Presenting to Business People
Live Webcast: Wednesday, June 20th at 1:00 PM EDT

Join this live webinar with Paul Glen, author of Leading Geeks, to learn how to...
Today's NAS: A Solution Beyond Old Limits
Date: Tuesday, July 17, 2012 2:00 PM EDT

Traditional NAS systems don't scale beyond fixed limits. Proliferation of NAS systems leads to management...
Oracle Database Appliance Best Practices
Business users increasingly demand 24x7 availability of their data while IT departments face the challenge of ensuring maximum availability while operating with limited...
Data Privacy and Protection in Production Environments: New Research from Ponemon Institute
Date: Wednesday, June 13, 2012, 1:00 PM EDT / 10:00 AM PDT

In a recent study conducted by Ponemon Institute, fifty-five percent of respondents...
All Careers Webcasts
IT Salaries 2012
2012 Salary Survey

How does your salary compare with your peers? Find out using our Smart Salary Tool.

Newsletter Sign-Up

Receive the latest news test, reviews and trends on your favorite technology topics

Choose a newsletter
  1. View all newsletters | Privacy Policy
IT Jobs