Introduction

This chapter is an introduction to the book Organizational Behaviour and the Physical Environment and introduces the key themes for the book. The authors outline in particular the mixed findings of research in the area of the physical environment of work, especially relating to open-plan office designs. Additionally, the authors discuss the nature of contemporary configurations and the layout of the physical environment of work from both employees’ and employers’ perspectives. They conclude that more research is needed to understand the effects of the physical environment of work and how this relates to employees’ need for ‘territory’ they feel they are entitled to. These needs in turn affect both the productivity and the wellbeing of employees working in today’s office settings.