Increasing Efficiency Through More Formal Leadership

Based on my experiences while working for two weeks at Altria, I have noticed a unique culture that is evident in the office. Everyone is extremely friendly, open, and willing to help and offer advice. The office has a high energy, which is due to this habit of always being available for coworkers. While this is beneficial for workers and for the company in many respects, there are drawbacks that I have noticed relating to the efficiency of the organization related to getting work done. The floor plan of the office that I work at is extremely open. There are no cubicles, walls, or private space. While this promotes collaboration and teamwork, I often notice that my coworkers spend time taking breaks and chatting with colleagues. Similarly, I have found it hard at times to focus on my work when so much is going on around me. I acknowledge the importance of collaboration, especially in this line of work (marketing), but I can also see the benefits of having more closed off spaces for personal work. This, I believe, could offer options for increased efficiency within the office, so long as there is still open collaborative space.

One of the results of an open floor plan is that it is not always easy to tell what role each member has and who the clear leaders are within the office. I have found myself on multiple occasions having small talk or chatting with someone who I thought was a normal coworker and then later realizing this the person was a manager or high-level employee. I find this “equality” within the office very beneficial in many aspects where I can learn closely from successful individuals around me while also being confident enough to offer my own opinions and challenge ideas that I don’t agree with. I wonder, though, if this impacts how people work. Similar to the physical layout of the office, I can potentially see the familiarity of all of the workers with each other take away from the efficiency of work. If higher level employees with broader ranging projects were separated from the rest of the office, it would create a more formal hierarchy within the office which might lead employees to submit more to formal leaders.