Communication in the Workplace

History:
Although there have been offices in some form throughout the ages the history of the modern office is often traced back to the East India Company and the large purpose-built office that was constructed in 1792. Over time the office, like the rest of the world, was changed and shaped by new technology that came during the 19th century, such as electric lighting, typewriters, the elevator and steel frame construction all contributed to the skyscrapers we now work in today. This led to the rapid development of the office space during the 20th century as companies were able to utilize larger workforces. With this came the Taylorist offices which attempted to increase efficiency by imitating the factory assembly line, giving repetitive and relatively simple tasks to people while also cramming more people into a single area. The first real break-away from the Taylor model was in the 1950s when Eberhard and Wolfgang Schnell proposed the Bürolandschaft model. It attempted to get rid of the rigidness that had permeated the Taylor model and instead focused on free and open plans of furniture scattered in large and spaces that had no clear division between different environments.

The original Action office 

In reaction to this in the 1960s Herman Miller introduced the Action Office. It was based off the idea that the mental effort required in work required a suitable working environment However due to its high cost Action Office II was introduced as a flexible space that allowed employees some measure of privacy by providing three-sided divisions between each employee while still allowing for open communication between workers, This idea was taken and abused in the 80s in what came to be known as "Cubicle Farms." Although designed to free workers from the dull and mechanical nature of the Taylorist offices, managers were more interested in profits and focused on cramming as many people as possible in as small a space as possible. In the 90s the rise of Dot Com companies once again challenged the status quo by embracing a quirky and brightly colored design with a more casual feel and a return to a more open office plan. The casual office continued in popularity especially among tech companies into the 21st century.

Themes:
The history of the office workplace reflects changes in people's understanding of humanity and one's purpose as well as the changing needs of society. There is a clear reflection of several themes, such as man's search for order. Offices came from the need for order in a sea of information that required hundreds of people sifting through it and reacting to it in order to run large companies such as the East India Trading Company. There is also an important connection to both the idea of industrialization as it was upon the ideas of industry that the office was originally based. However the changing nature of society in the 21st century has forced companies to re-evaluate those industrial values as the universality of technology and its affects on the way we live has greatly changed what is needed from human workers and our computer or robotic counterparts.