Office design has moved through six main strategies, from the open plan of the early 1900s, through cubicles, hot desking, team-based and activity-based working, to the hybrid model of the 2020s.
Updated 21 October 2026
In short: Office design has moved through six main strategies, from the open plan of the early 1900s, through cubicles, hot desking, team-based and activity-based working, to the hybrid model of the 2020s. Each one tried to balance efficiency for the organisation against focus, privacy and belonging for staff. Hybrid working combines all of the earlier models and relies on a workplace management platform to allocate desks, rooms and zones as attendance changes from day to day.
The evolution of workplace design mirrors the changing priorities of organisations and employees over time. From the industrial roots of office work in the 19th century to today's flexible environments, workplace strategies have constantly adapted to meet shifting demands.
Early designs, such as hierarchical offices, prioritised privacy and concentration. Later, open-plan layouts aimed to encourage collaboration. Over the decades, models like ABW, cubicle farms and hot desking reflected attempts to balance organisational efficiency and employee satisfaction.
Today, the emphasis has shifted towards flexibility, resilience, technology integration and work-life balance. Hybrid working, which takes in activity-based working (ABW) and all other types of working, has become the leading strategy. These new approaches combine physical spaces with digital tools to meet diverse employee needs while aligning with organisational goals.
Below, we examine six key historical and current workplace strategies that have defined the evolution of office spaces. By exploring their origins, impact and relevance, we gain insights into creating innovative environments. These environments drive productivity and employee wellbeing in a rapidly changing world.
Large, open spaces were first designed for efficiency and easier supervision. They were later used to encourage collaboration and flexibility. However, problems with noise and lack of privacy surfaced over time.
The Open-Plan workplace traces back to the early 20th century. Famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed a new working arrangement for the Larkin Administration Building in Buffalo, New York.
Individual enclosed offices for employees, typically organised by hierarchy. Privacy and concentration were the focus, with each employee having a dedicated workspace.
The history of the ‘cubicle’ office dates back to the 1960s. Designer Robert Propst was the person behind the commercialisation of the ‘cubicle’, and his initial concept was based on employee wellbeing.
Unassigned seating, where employees choose a workspace on a first-come, first-served basis. It was designed to maximise space efficiency but often led to issues with employee satisfaction and the sense of belonging.
As businesses moved away from paper-heavy tasks and into knowledge work, employees began:
In the early 1990s, particularly in consulting firms and technology companies, organisations noticed a saving. They could cut real estate costs if employees did not need a permanent desk. The term “hot-desking” (or “hoteling,” in some places) emerged as a more formalised approach to this idea.
The spread of laptops, email and mobile phones in the 1990s made it easier for employees to work from various locations. These technologies encouraged companies to rethink fixed seating. Employees no longer needed to be tied to a single desktop computer or landline phone.
Workspaces focused on creating spaces where teams could collaborate closely and efficiently. This model often included a mix of open areas, meeting rooms and designated team spaces, encouraging communication and teamwork.
Early use cases of ‘Team-Based’ work can be seen in 1950s Japan at Toyota. Its system focused on continuous improvement (today known as Kaizen) and eliminating waste. It also strongly encouraged team-based problem-solving.
“Quality Circles”, or small groups of workers, would regularly meet to discuss and solve issues. Fast forward to the mid-90s, when young tech businesses organised work into self-organising Scrum or Kanban teams. These teams prioritised collaboration, iterative progress and rapid feedback loops.
ABW introduced the concept of different spaces for different activities, allowing employees to choose where they work based on the task at hand. It aims to combine the best aspects of open-plan, private and team-based workspaces, but often faces challenges in practice.
A Dutch consultant and architect, Eric Veldhoen, is often credited with coining the term Activity Based Working in 1994. It was put into practice only a few years later. Veldhoen + Company, the consultancy Veldhoen founded, worked with the Dutch insurer Interpolis to design and implement offices under ABW principles for almost 1,000 staff.
‘Hybrid Working’ is the culmination of all types of working. It takes in Office, Open Plan, Cubicle, Hot Desking, ABW and TBW, allowing ultimate flexibility for organisations and their staff.
This model uses digital tools and flexible workspace systems (furniture and modular rooms). It is often a response to the limitations of earlier single strategies. Underpinned by a Workplace Management Platform, Hybrid workspaces are gaining traction due to their higher efficiency and lower maintenance compared with ABW.
The journey of workplace design reveals a continuous search for balance between innovation and employee-centric approaches. As we move forward, designing spaces that adapt to technological advances while prioritising employee wellbeing will remain crucial to organisational success.
Organisational Resilience is a key theme for 2025. Rapid change in ecological, social, political and economic conditions (both Micro and Macro) threatens the sustainability and success of organisations.
Anton Schiavello is co-founder and CEO of Nura Space, the Melbourne workplace management platform founded in 2017. He developed Schiavello's Focus Quiet Room, the project that led to Nura Space, and now leads product, strategy and partnerships, including Nura Vision, winner of Best of NeoCon 2025 Gold.
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