Creating Harmony in Cubeville

Creating Harmony in Cubeville

    By Reina G. Wiatt CMA, CPA
      © 2005 All Rights Reserved

It’s 8AM and I am greeted by an unusual cast of characters.   Weeping Winnie is sobbing over her latest emotional trauma; Kevin Kleptomaniac has taken my favorite pen again; Larry Loud is using the speakerphone to talk to his European counterparts at ear-shattering decibels; and last but not least, Ted Techie set his cell phone ring to ‘Do the Hokey-Pokey.’

Is this a new Reality TV show about dysfunctional roommates or a new Dilbert cartoon?   Not at all.   It’s the modern office landscape commonly referred to as ‘Cubicle Culture.’   This work environment has spawned a new genre of humorous commentary, new words such as “Cubeville” and “Cubetiquette”, and a plethora of seminars detailing ‘cubicle courtesy’ rules for cubicle office environments.

The open office environment is not a new concept.   In the late 19th century, the "office landscape" concept was introduced to increase efficiency and mimic the factory floor.   Offices were often large rooms consisting of several rows of end-to-end desks, without partitions, where workers could easily be watched.   Standardization of job duties made it easy for managers to keep a close eye on all workers and monitor productivity.

Today's workplace design is no longer dictated by the product or service produced.   Rather, it is driven by increased competition, cutting costs, rapid technological advances, and shifts in working styles.   Jobs were made less monotonous, routines became less rigid, and the look of the office began to change to outwardly show this functional change.   As a result, modern corporate management is learning to create a business culture in which teamwork and communication are becoming much more important to worker productivity.

The office cubicle was the solution to this functional change.   It consists of a partitioned space for several workers in what is otherwise an open space. For many...