ifkad articles

New Work in Public Administration: Translating Workplace and Organizational Requirements into Spatial Patterns. A Methodological Approach

Anja Jannack, Solveig Hausmann, Jörg Rainer Noennig, Martin Schmauder

Digitalised work processes, fast information flows and flexible project structures also have an impact on the design of working environments and work organisation. Hybrid work and multi-structure offices are concepts that are often implemented in the private sector but rarely in the public sector. Due to the pandemic conditions of the last two years, however, many employees and employers in the public sector have gained experience with remote work in home offices. The “paperless office” is increasingly becoming reality, filing cabinets are getting smaller and replaced by e-files. Digital screen work, video conferencing as well as extensive data and document exchange via cloud services increasingly determine everyday work. It can be questioned whether spatial-organizational formats such as the conventional two-person office are still appropriate solutions for office work in the future public sector. Are there new (spatial) environments that create more suitable work conditions for the changing requirements? How can employees participate in the design of these new work environments? How can they be empowered to re-organise and re-use their work environment under the changing conditions? This paper reflects on a feasibility study conducted by TU Dresden for a large Saxon administration. Addressing “Future Work” scenarios, it focused on new concepts for workplace design, work organisation and knowledge management. The feasibility study started with a survey of employees in order to derive spatial, organisational and technological requirements for new work organization and spatial concepts. The paper introduces – besides the scientific and practice background – the overall procedure of the study as well as new concepts for work organisation and workplace design. On the one hand, it focuses on (online) surveys and co-design workshops as methodological approaches for the assessment of needs. On the other hand it discusses the specific results of the feasibility study. It concludes with the translation of the findings into schematic designs, and outlines how to incorporate the insights in the future planning of new work organization and spatial concepts in public administration.

IN: Proceedings IFKAD 2023 – Managing Knowledge for Sustainability
PP: 2858-2881