Rose Needle, University of South Carolina Karen Mallia, University of South Carolina
Open office plans have become the dominant mode for creative workplaces, designed to encourage collaboration. Little research assesses the validity of that conventional wisdom, or the impact of open environments on creativity, productivity or employee satisfaction. Though the “Extrovert Ideal” permeates these industries, nearly 50% of the general population is introverted—and introverted traits correlate positively with creativity. Thus, this study surveys 143 people working in creative industries, assessing perceptions of productivity and satisfaction along with personality type. A majority of respondents yearned for solitude to complete certain tasks. Findings suggest that open office environments may indeed undermine creative productivity, especially among introverts, and in turn, discriminate against non-extraverts.
Saturday March 30, 2019 11:00am - 12:30pm MDT
Normandy A
