Change management is key. There isnt much research available on change The comment further research is needed is a management in relation to activity-based working, butscientific clich, but nonetheless true for ABW. many research publications do stress its importance. 62, 63,Despite a rapidly growing evidence base, many questions remain unanswered. Here are some 64, 65 User involvement and communication in particular arerecommendations for further research.seen as critical change management activities. A Swedish study that compared four ABW cases noted that the twoPromote researchmost successful cases were characterized by long designUrge organizations to evaluate their ABW effort and implementation processes, extensive employeesystematically and to share the findings.involvement and clear communication about theMake sure that research is relevant to concept. 66The study showed that employee involvementpracticeTry to develop practical recommendations facilitated the employees mental preparation for the newon matters like sharing ratios and workplace work environment and the creation, acceptance anddensities.implementation of new workstyles. Make research more accessible to practiceDo not publish in scientific journals only, Conclusion but also in blogs and trade journals that are The available evidence based on ABW does not provide anyaccessible to practitioners.simple or definitive answers about whether ABW is good or bad. 67The overall impression, however, is that ABW canLink satisfaction data to design characteristicswork very well provided it is implemented and executedDo not regard ABW as a general concept. Take properly. The concepts strength is that it can have aa closer look and try to isolate the impact of positive impact on interaction, satisfaction and peoplesdesign variables such as floor sizes, sharing sense of productivity, especially when work processes areratios and workplace densities.characterized by a high level of autonomy, mobility andGo for gold standard researchinteraction. The concepts weakness is that people mayTo get reliable evidence about how office find it difficult to concentrate. Research also shows thatconcepts work , there is a need for some more randomized controlled trails (RCTs), people are by nature more sedentary than expected and soconducted in real-life workplace settings. 68fail to realize the concepts full potential. These issues must be addressed explicitly in the design and implementationUse a mix of methodsprocess. Providing plentiful spaces for focus work, andCombine quantitative surveys with qualitative methods such as interviews and observational encouraging people to actually use those spaces, is likelystudies to understand the why of the research to help.outcomes.Use data from new technologiesMake use of sensors, cameras or wearable devices to get an in-depth insight into user behaviour (but beware of privacy issues).Investigate the impact of process designDo not study the concept in isolation, but also the process behind it, looking at the duration of processes, the degree of user involvement and the role of management.31