Organization Behaviour: Challenges and Solutions in a Law Firm's Move to an Open Plan Office

Running Head: ORGANIZATION BEHAVIOUR
September 24
2018

ORGANIZATION BEHAVIOUR 1
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Organization behaviour..............................................................................................................2
Reasons of employees’ resistance to move in open plan office.............................................2
Possible moves of partners to minimise the resistance..........................................................3
Barriers to the communication (noise) in law firm................................................................4
Possible solution to the barriers of communication...............................................................4
Source of power for partners and their impact.......................................................................5
Influencing strategies or tactics used by the partners and employees....................................6
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
References..................................................................................................................................8

ORGANIZATION BEHAVIOUR 2
Introduction
In the globalizing world, organizations are adapting new strategies and culture to make their
business environment work effective. Organizations are making several changes into their
work place to create a more effective as well as more efficient workplace. In this order a law
firm started by Owen Cheetham and Jack Wynne, is moving to a new open plan office. In this
change the firm has so many challenges to be faced from the employees’ end. Below
discussion is all about the employee end reasons for the change and their effective solutions
that the firm can adopt.
Organization behaviour
Reasons of employees’ resistance to move in open plan office
Few months after both the junior partners started observing the employees’ reaction to their
new open plan office shift. There were many who were resisting the new open plan office
while at the same time there were people welcoming the new change in their office layout.
People were resisting the new change mostly because of their personal life issues. Only a few
among the people resisting this change were complaining professional issues. In the very
begging, senior partners were the first complaining about their new office demanding for a
separate space for them. They were opposing only their mixing with the other staff members.
After their shift to the separate enclosed corner office, they started observing people and
found so many fake people talking good in public for the new change but complaining in the
private conversations. Owen claimed that he found two people complaining about the new
office and saying that they cannot make private conversations with their relationship partners
in the new office. They were complaining that it is not safe or private to talk with their
boyfriends in the new space. Along with such examples that the two senior partners found in
the firm there was many more reason because of that people were resisting the move to a new
open-plan office. Some of the reasons both the partners identified for the resistance they
faced are as following:
 Lack of private space provided to the employees
 Lack of communication between colleagues at the workplace or less interaction
 Interference in employees personal stuff like online surfing and others
 Less connectivity the nearby market