Workplace Design Strategies over the decades

Workplace Design Strategies over the decades

The evolution of workplace design mirrors the changing priorities of organisations and employees over time. From the industrial roots of office work in the 19th century to today’s modern, flexible environments, workplace strategies have consistently adapted to meet shifting demands. Early designs, such as hierarchical offices, prioritised privacy and concentration, while the advent of open-plan layouts aimed to foster collaboration. Over the decades, models like ABW, cubicle farms, and hot desking reflected attempts to balance organisational efficiency and employee satisfaction.

Today, the emphasis has shifted towards flexibility, resilience, technology integration, and work-life balance, with hybrid working, encompassing activity-based working (ABW) and all typologies of working, becoming the prominent strategy. These new approaches combine physical spaces with digital tools to accommodate diverse employee needs while aligning with organisational goals.

Below we’ll examine six key historical and current workplace strategies that have defined the evolution of office spaces. By exploring their origins, impact, and relevance, we gain insights into creating innovative environments that drive productivity and employee well-being in a rapidly changing world.

1. Open-Plan (1900s to Present)

Large, open spaces initially designed for efficiency and easier supervision, which later became used to encourage collaboration and flexibility, however issues with noise and lack of privacy surfaced over time. The Open-Plan workplace traces back to the early 20^th Century, where famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, designed a new working arrangement for the Larkin Administration Building in Buffalo, New York.  

2. Cubicle Farms (1960s to Present)

Individual enclosed offices for employees, typically organized by hierarchy. Privacy and concentration were the focus, with each employee having a dedicated workspace. The history of the ‘cubicle’ office dates back to the 1960’s. Designer, Robert Propst, was the individual behind the commercialisation of the ‘cubicle’, whereby his initial concept was based on employee wellbeing.  

3. Hot Desking (1990s to Present)

Unassigned seating, where employees choose a workspace on a first-come, first-served basis. It was designed to maximise space efficiency but often led to issues with employee satisfaction and the sense of belonging.  

As businesses moved away from heavily paper-based tasks and into knowledge work, employees began traveling more, collaborating across departments, and working offsite with clients. In the early 1990s, particularly in consulting firms and technology companies, organisations noticed they could save on real estate costs if employees did not need a permanent desk. The term “hot-desking” (or “hoteling,” in some places) emerged as a more formalized approach to this idea. The proliferation of laptops, email, and mobile phones in the 1990s made it easier for employees to work from various locations. These technologies encouraged companies to rethink fixed seating, since employees no longer needed to be tethered to a single desktop computer or landline phone.

4.Team-Based (1990s to Present)

Workspaces Focused on creating spaces where teams could collaborate closely and efficiently. This model often included a mix of open areas, meeting rooms, and designated team spaces, fostering communication and teamwork. Early use cases of ‘Team-Based’ work can be seen in 1950’s Japan by Toyota, who’s system focused on continuous improvement (today known as Kaizen) and eliminating waste, which also strongly encouraged team-based problem-solving. “Quality Circles”, or small groups of workers, would regularly meet to discuss and solve issues. Fast forward to the mid-90's, when young tech businesses organised work into self-organising Scrum or Kanban teams, prioritising collaboration, iterative progress, and rapid feedback loops.

5. Activity-Based (early 2000s to Present)

ABW introduced the concept of different spaces for different activities, allowing employees to choose where they work based on the task at hand. It aims to combine the best aspects of open-plan, private, and team-based workspaces, but often faces challenges in practice. A Dutch consultant and architect, Eric Veldhoen, is often credited with coining the term Activity Based Working in 1994. Put into practice not more than a few years later, Veldhoen + Company, the consultancy Veldhoen founded, worked with the Dutch Insurer, Interpolis, to design and implement offices under ABW principles for almost 1,000 staff.

6. Hybrid Working (2020s to Present)

The culmination of all typologies of working, ‘Hybrid Working’ entails Office, Open Plan, Cubical, Hot Desking, ABW and TBW, allowing ultimate flexibility for organisations and their staff. This model leverages digital tools and flexible workspace systems (furniture and modular rooms), often as a response to the limitations of previous singular strategies. Underpinned by a Workplace Management Platform, Hybrid workspaces are gaining traction due to their higher efficiency and lower maintenance, in comparison to ABW.  

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The journey of workplace design reveals a continuous quest for balance between innovation and employee-centric approaches. As we move forward, designing spaces that adapt to technological advances while prioritizing employee well-being will remain crucial to organisational success. Organisational Resilience is a key theme for 2025, as rapid movement in ecological, social, political and economic (both Micro and Macro) threatens the sustainability and success of organisations.  

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