Our instruments at a glance

The CfPB has developed different research instruments over the years. These are used during research and knowledge transfer activities and allow for insight into change processes in offices. The importance of these instruments is twofold. Firstly, it enables us to gather information and general data about the work environment. Secondly, the gathering of information at different organizations provides a benchmark that allows participants to take informed decisions regarding change processes.

WODI® Toolkit

Planning Office Spaces (Workplace guide)

PACT calculation model (Places and ACTivities)

PARAP lifecycle cost model

Workplace Game

Accomodation Choice Model

How does your office perform? The Work Environment Diagnosis Instrument (WODI®) is a scientifically developed tool that allows us to measure the appropriateness of and satisfaction with the work environment. The toolkit includes four different instruments to measure all aspects of the work environment in thematic modules. These include the extensive WODI Classic instrument, the more concise WODI®Light instrument and the WODI key performance indicator (KPI) which is used to measure the satisfaction with and characteristics of the office layout. In addition the toolkit also includes the Space Utilisation Monitor (SUM) which was developed to measure the use and appropriation of workplaces. 

WODI Classic consists of different elements, amongst which an extensive questionnaire for the office users, interview protocols, workshop formats and observation schemes.  WODI Light, a shorter version of the WODI classic questionnaire, allows us to make a quickscan of the work environment. Since WODI light was based on the longer WODI classic questionnaire, it is possible to measure certain key aspects more thoroughly by extending the list of questions contained in WODI Light with additional questions from WODI classic.

The standardization of the WODI instruments makes it possible to build up the WODI-database (with over 11.000 respondents) and develop the Key Performance Indicator (KPI). This indicator represents the average satisfaction of all the cases that are measured with WODI®Light. Every year the indicator is updated by adding the data that was collected during the year in question. It serves as a benchmark to compare the performance of the offices of different organizations with the performance of all other offices that have been measured with WODI®Light. The WODI-database makes it also possible to perform various cross-case analyses.

The SUM instrument measures the actual use (occupancy) of workplaces and the various activities for which it is appropriated. The article “Measuring employee satisfaction in new offices – the WODI toolkit” (Maarleveld, Volker & van der Voordt, 2009) recently published in Journal of Facilities Management describes this toolkit in further detail. The WODI light questionnaire is, in addition to the original Dutch version, also available in English. Currently we consider to work on a French version.

In 2009 the WODI Toolkit was extended with the Building inventory. One of the targets of the CfPB is to develop generic knowledge regarding people, work and the building environment. Every time a WODI Light questionnaire is administered a building inventory also is executed. With this we try to objectively map the building environment. By collecting the physical features of the studied buildings and joining the data with the outcomes of the WODI Light, we investigate the relationship between the physical features of a building and the satisfaction of its users.   

Planning Office Spacs (in Dutch: Werkplekwijzer) contains all the ingredients required for an effective office environment in terms of the different types of workplaces.

This guide provides a short and practical view on the choices and opportunities that are provided by implementing a new office concept. The major ingredient is a list of possible workplaces that shows managers and professionals different possibilities in the early stages of rethinking  an office accommodation strategy.

Click here for more information about 'Planning Office Spaces: a practical guide for managers and designers'

Use of pictograms of Planning Office Spaces is allowed under the conditions of Creative Commons.Click here for more information.

The PACT –model provides insight into the types and numbers of workplaces that are required for different accommodation strategies. In addition PACT also makes the consequences of certain strategic choices more transparent. Based on the number of employees, their activities and the organizational policy, PACT calculates the number of each of the different types of workplaces that are needed to accommodate the organization according to the chosen strategy. By changing the input of the model, the consequences of alternative strategy choices can be evaluated and compared.

PARAP is an advanced calculating model that can be used in the early stages of the building process. The model is effective in obtaining a grip on the budget and the anticipated investment and exploitation costs of a proposed building at a time when little factual information is available.  These early stages in the building process are characterized by the urgency to make strategic decisions regarding the feasibility of a proposed development. The model assists in this decision-making process by combining basic organizational information on the number of fulltime employees (FTE’s) with information on the desired type of building (single or double corridor), the anticipated number of floors (including basements), location, and the desired quality and maintenance levels. The outcome of the calculation is a simulated reference building that serves as an acceptable solution for accommodating the organization. Information on cost and environmental impact for all building elements further extends the functionality of the model to include anticipated investment, operating and maintenance costs, energy costs and environmental impact (CO2—footprint). In doing so, the model provides valuable input for decision-making and allows comparison of variant options.

The Workplace Game is a communication tool that enables office workers to exchange ideas about the use of the office environment through open discussion. It makes the often implicit thoughts about behavior in the office, more explicit. Following the three themes of the game, people discuss values and norms, information and knowledge, and attitude and behavior.

Depending on the specific situation, the Workplace Game can have several goals: discussion about new rules for behavior, stimulating shared values, awareness of the changes in the office environment, understanding of the desired behavior in different situations, stimulating the correct use of the work environment, becoming aware of one’s own points of view, as well as suppositions and norms in relation to the work environment. The Workplace Game also provides management with information regarding the preferred behavior of the office workers – thereby generating input for the development of (new) rules and regulations.

The Workplace Game and its possible use in different settings has been the subject of research and has been published in various articles (De Bruyne & de Jong, 2008; de Jong & de Bruyne, 2008; de Jong, Kouprie & De Bruyne, 2009).

Based on a literature review, case studies, and personal involvement in accommodation processes, the Center for People and Buildings developed an “Accommodation Choice Model” in order to support organization-centered accommodations. The model involves making, coordinating, elaborating, and implementing accommodation choices through a consciously designed process. The model includes four steps that focus on the substantive choices, a “drive belt” for steering the process, a lynchpin for aligning and testing these steps and process related issues, and a playing field in which the process occurs. The assumption is that a structural and coordinated progression through substantive and procedural choices in a number of steps will generate a better accommodation that is appropriate to the organization. In addition, the more explicit approach to making choices will make the process run more smoothly. The model may be used as a checklist when starting an accommodation project, may be used to adjust a running accomodation project or may be used to evaluate a completed project.

Figure 3: Accomodation Choice Model-elaboration (klik to enlarge)