The environmental psychology of
workspace
Researchers in environmental psychology have
developed a rich literature on ways of measuring
how the physical environment meets people’s
(users’) needs, in which many varieties and examples
of misfit are recorded. The definition of misfit
is one in which the environment places inappropriate
or excessive demands on users, in spite of
their adaptation and adjustment behaviours
(coping). The concept of environmental fit is well
integrated into the environmental psychology literature
(Alexander, 1970; Herring, Szigeti, &
Vischer, 1977; Preiser, 1983; Zeisel, 2005).
So what are the elements in the physical workspace
that can be identified as affecting fit or
misfit between person and environment at work?
One area of research that has begun to answer
this question is ergonomics. Initially developed
for military and manufacturing processes,
ergonomics researchers now apply their assessment
tools to office furniture and equipment to
protect workers from long-term muscular or
nerve injury due to poor bodily positioning or
muscle use. Stress, from the ergonomics stand-