territory and personal space Flashcards
what is territory?
relates to a particular location that is owned in some way and doesn’t move anywhere
what is personal space?
relates to people and goes wherever they go. requirements vary according to context.
what are territory and personal space involved in?
regulating our interactions with others
what four stages of personal space did edward hall define?
intimate, personal, social, public
how does gender influence personal space?
men interecting with other men require the largest distance, then women, then men and women
how does age influence personal space?
personal space gets bigger as we grow older. people the same age tend to require less personal space.
how does culture influence personal space?
distances vary, inc middle east
how does personality influence personal space?
extroverts seem to require less space
how does situation influence personal space?
less space needed if the interaction is friendly
how does status influence personal space?
the greater the status difference, the bigger the space
middlemist
found invasion of personal space can have a significant impact.
- confederate stood at urinal next to men, or one over, or was absent.
- closest distances delayed the time to start urinating and decreased how long they urinated for.
supported the arousal model- ecologically valid
nature vs nurture
biological reaction from amygdala vs context dependent on upbringing and culture
what can territory be?
personal or temporary.
primary, secondary, public.
there are lots of ways we indicate our ownership or temporary territory- coats, bags, beach towels
socio-biological territory theory
it is a relic from our evolutionary past- but it is not seen in all cultures, suggesting it might be learned
cognitive territory theory
to do with our need to categorise and simplify our world
investigating territory
surprisingly hard to study.
- research had been done on beaches and libraries
- territorial markers were respected at quiet times, but when it got busier it was personal markers which were more respected.
male markers tended to be more respected than female.
hot-desking
not every worker has their own desk, workers have to use any desk available at a given time.
what does hot-desking do?
reduced clutter and maximises underused space- 40% of workers use this system
what have hot-desking studies found?
social structures emerge, where dome employees settle in one place and others move constantly.
leads employees to identify less with the organisation, reduce morale and increase turnover.
what is personal space like in the workplace?
movement away from closed plan offices into open plan- sometimes hundreds in the same room, separated by screens, filing cabinets and monitors.
how does working close together in a high density environment affect tasks?
performance is impaired in complex tasks, but not simple tasks- zajonc’s social facilitation
- suggests employees need enough space not to feel overly aroused
what is the assumption regarding office clutter?
that an orderly environment promotes efficiency, although this has never been empirically proven
what did wells (2000) aim to find?
- do men and women personalise workspaces differently?
- is personalisation of workspaces associated with enhanced employee well-being?
- is personalisation of workplaces more important to women’s well-being than men?
- is a company’s personalisation policy associated with organisational well-being?
what was wells’ (2000) sample?
small business office workers in 20 companies in orange county, california.
initially completed a questionnaire, then 23 high-personalisers and low-personalisers agreed to take part in a follow up study
what was wells’ (2000) method?
seven-section survey
- workspace personalisation
- satisfaction with the physical work environment
- job satisfaction
- well-being
- employee perceptions of organisational well-being
- personality traits
- demographic information
what was wells’ (2000) method continued?
case study involved recorded structured interviews with open-ended questions, which was followed up with an examination of workspace using an observation checklist. a photograph was also taken.
what were wells’ (2000) results?
- men and women personalised differently. women personalised more 11.12 items vs 7.68
- women personalised with symbols of identity and emotion, and men with achievements and status
- personalisation was significantly associated with satisfaction with the work environment -> job satisfaction -> well-being
what did wells’ (2000) results show?
- survey data suggested personalisation was not significantly more important to the well-being of women than men, but the interview suggested it might be.
- companies with a more lenient personalisation policy reported a more positive organisational climate, greater employee morale and reduced turnover.
what did wells’ (2000) results support the idea of?
supported the hypothesis that personalisation might be associated with organisational well-being
what did wells’ (2000) conclude?
- personalisation can help retain employees and increase morale
- unclear whether it is the lenient personalisation policy, or just due to more leniency in general.
issues with wells’ (2000) conclusions
- findings not generalisable to large companies, but since small businesses make up 99% of american employers, the findings are applicable to majority of US workforce.
- ethocentric
- did not increase productivity
office design strategies based on research into territory- personalisation
personalisation reports a greater organisational climate, employee morale and lower staff turnover.
- but personalisation does not increase productivity, which may be the biggest concern for an employer.
office design strategies based on research into territory- other factors
needs of staff- male workers may need more space, harder to accommodate/need to consider economic factors.
- complex work, such as coding, may require more space
- different cultures
- light, CR, green views
office design strategies based on research into territory- hot-desking
hot-desking can be stressful and demotivating, due to lack of territory. no perceived control over an area.
office design strategies based on research into personal space- types of office
workers who had private offices were more satisfied with their workspace (kim and dear 2015)
open plan offices were most dissatisfied with privacy aspect of their workspace, impossible to tell if people were listening in.
wells’ (2000) individual and situational explanations
- situation has a strong effect on the way people feel about their jobs, but men and women are affected differently.
- suggests men and women interact with environment in very different ways. individual options for situational explanations.
