Description: While workplaces and work methods may change, people's mental and physical systems do not. Although the fields of performance technology and commercial interior design share the goal of improving performance, they seldom have joined forces to resolve performance problems in the workplace - the largest part of any work system that can support or interfere with performance. Creating Workplaces Where People Can Think reveals how performance technologists, interior designers, human resource managers, and trainers can identify and eliminate environmental causes of low performance and improve productivity. Drawing on research in environmental psychology, cognitive psychology, workplace design, and organizational behavior, authors Smith and Kearny show how the work environment directly influences thinking - the invisible yet first crucial step in performance. They reveal the unique and powerful impact that work-environment factors can have on employees' mental workloads, attention capacity, and stress tolerance. In addition, they offer detailed guidelines and methods for determining how design problems may interfere with performance. Through real-life examples and a comprehensive case study, the authors explain how to implement, evaluate, and monitor a typical work environment-performance intervention. They also provide hands-on, reuseable worksheets, checklists, and survey and cost-estimate forms for reducing or eliminating performance-related problems due to inadequate workspace. Creating Workplaces Where People Can Think is a valuable tool for designing and tailoring workspaces to match group and individual needs with the work being done.

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