Bosses looking to quickly increase productivity should ditch brainstorming meetings and instead invest in office plants, a study has found.
Greenery in offices boosts work output by 15 percent, and challenges ‘the lean philosophy’ which holds that stark, uncluttered buildings are best for concentration.
In experiments at two large commercial offices in the UK and The Netherlands, it was found that plants significantly increased workplace satisfaction, self-reported levels of focus, and perceived air quality.
“Simply enriching a previously Spartan space with plants served to increase productivity by 15 percent,” said lead researcher Marlon Nieuwenhuis, from Cardiff University’s School of Psychology.
“This conclusion is at odds with the present economic and political zeitgeist as well as with modern ‘lean’ management techniques, yet it nevertheless identifies a pathway to a more enjoyable, more comfortable and a more profitable form of office-based working.
“Our research suggests that investing in landscaping the office with plants will pay off through an increase in office workers’ quality of life and productivity.
“It directly challenges the widely accepted business philosophy that a lean office with clean desks is more productive.”
Previous studies have shown that the presence of plants can lower physiological stress, increase attention span and improve well-being.
The study, which also involved academics from the University of Exeter; the University of Groningen in The Netherlands, and the University of Queensland, Australia, studied offices over several months during which times plants were removed and added.
Professor Alex Haslam, from The University of Queensland’s School of Psychology, who also co-authored the study added: "The 'lean' philosophy has been influential across a wide range of organisational domains.
“Our research questions this widespread conviction that less is more. Sometimes less is just less".
Analyses into the reasons why plants are beneficial suggests that a green office increases employees’ work engagement by making them more physically, cognitively, and emotionally involved in their work.
Co-author Dr Craig Knight, from the University of Exeter, said: “Psychologically manipulating real workplaces and real jobs adds new depth to our understanding of what is right and what is wrong with existing workspace design and management.
“We are now developing a template for a genuinely smart office.”
The research was published in Journal of Experimental Psychology.
一项研究发现，希望快速提高办公效率的老板们应该抛弃头脑风暴似的会议而投资购买办公室植物盆栽。
办公室的绿色植物能够提升15%的工作量，也挑战了“精益思想”（Lean philosophy）管理学的理念：朴素整洁的建筑最有利于集中注意力。
在英国和荷兰的两个大型商业办公室进行的实验发现，植物能显著地提高工作满意度、注意力和对空气质量的感知度。
“只要在先前斯巴达式的空间布置植物盆栽就有助于提高15%的效率，”来自卡迪夫大学心理学学院的首席研究员马龙·尼乌文赫伊斯（Marlon Nieuwenhuis）说。
“这项结论和目前的经济和政治思潮不一致，也和现代的‘精益’管理技术有矛盾，然而它标识了一条更愉快、更舒适、更符合利益的办公室工作途径。”
“我们的研究表明，在办公室布置植物景观上投入资金将会在提高办公室员工的生活质量和效率上得到回报。”
“它直接向广为接受的带有朴素办公桌的精益办公室会更高效率的经营理念提出挑战。”
先前研究表明，植物可以减轻生理压力，提高注意力和促进身体健康。
这项调查由来自埃克塞特大学，荷兰格罗宁根大学，以及澳大利亚昆士兰大学的学者参与其中，调查研究了办公室数月里植物盆栽移除和添加的变化。
参与此项研究来自昆士兰大学心理学院的亚历克斯·哈斯勒姆（Alex Haslam）教授补充说：“这项‘精益’思想也影响了大范围的组织领域。
“我们的调查向这个广为流传的理念：少就是多，有时候少就是少提出了质疑。”
对为何植物是有益的原因的分析表明绿色办公室环境通过使员工更有活力地，更有认知力地，更有情感地进行工作来提高他们的工作投入。
来自埃克塞特大学的参与者克雷格·奈特（Craig Knight）教授说：“心理操纵真实的工作场所和真实的工作加深了对现有的工作环境设计和管理的理解。
“我们现在开发的是真正的智能办公室模板。”
这项调查被发布在实验心理学杂志。