The Effect of Microenvironmental Space on Communication and Job Satisfaction in an Office Environment: A Systematic Enquiry

A total of 69 employees in various job positions working in cubicles in an open-office space plan, of a large organization, completed a questionnaire investigating the impact of microenvironmental space on communication and job satisfaction. Data was analyzed using quantitative research methods. The results showed that a distinct lack of conversational privacy existed in this office. Also, when the level of noise decreased, the perceived level of privacy and job satisfaction increased. Excessive interaction, distraction, and communication with colleagues resulted in decreased level of communication privacy and job Satisfaction. In conclusion, the results of this study suggested two options for the decreased communication and job satisfaction: converting some space in the midst of all the cubicles into a gathering room to solve the problems such as lack of conversational privacy, distractions, and colleagues dropping in for a chat, or telecommuting. The researcher designed a model depicting communication as the threading tool for various components of microenvironmental space leading to job satisfaction. Several areas for future research in microenvironmental space are briefly discussed.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Department of Communication

Year

1995

Author dc:creator

• Bulusu, Aparan

• Communication

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/933

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.wku.edu:theses-1936