Background
The first phase of a new government building complex is scheduled to be completed in Norway in spring 2026. The relocation involves a change in office concept, where many transition from conventional cellular offices to activity-based offices (ABOs). ABOs involve an office concept without fixed seating, where the premises are divided into different zones tailored to different work tasks and preferences. The transition to ABOs represents a comprehensive change and transformation process for leaders and employees, as it not only means that the physical surroundings are replaced; working conditions and methods will also change.
Knowledge status
ABOs can have many advantages. They are space-saving and thus contribute to reducing both operational costs and climate footprints. They can also make it easier for organizations to adapt their office spaces to hybrid work arrangements and other organizational changes. By allowing employees to choose workstations based on tasks and preferences, ABOs can theoretically function better than open offices with fixed seating. Another goal is to encourage more and better collaboration among employees and across organizational units.
Yet, previous research points to several potential challenges with shared and open offices, also ABOs. Additionally, ABOs are associated with some unique issues that are not yet fully understood in research. Although free seating is intended to enhance employees’ perceptions of autonomy, many still choose roughly the same spot every day and do not move much throughout the workday. Not having a personal workstation can also feel odd and stressful. These are challenges that must be addressed for ABOs to function as intended.
Current project
This project will examine how ABOs affect several key outcomes, including work engagement, organizational commitment, job performance, social interaction, absenteeism, and turnover. The project also aims to explore factors that may influence how ABOs play out in practice, including office situation prior to relocation, factors related to the organizational change process, employees’ expectations of ABOs, and how the new office space is utilized.
The project leverages a natural experiment that arises from the new government quarter being divided into different construction phases, where around half of the ministry community relocates in the first phase and the remaining in later phases. This creates an opportunity to compare employees in the organizations that move first (experimental group) with those who move later (control group).
The project will generate valuable knowledge for the ministries participating and for other organizations implementing ABOs. The results may also contribute to a more knowledge-based approach to office workplaces in Norwegian and international working life. The project balances employee and employer perspectives, where an important goal is to generate knowledge about factors that influence how organizations succeed with ABOs.
Project leader: Randi Hovden Borge
Project group members: Morten Birkeland Nielsen, Jan Shahid Emberland
External collaborators: Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance, researcher Ann Sophie Lauterbach, Technische Universität Dresden,Germany.
More information is to be found on the Norwegian project page.