The Effect of Visual Openness in Meeting Rooms on Team Productivity and Communication Quality: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Shinsuke Asakawa (), Akinori Shimono, Mikiko Takahashi, Shoko Yamane and Masaru Sasaki ()
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Shinsuke Asakawa: Osaka University
Shoko Yamane: The University of Osaka
Masaru Sasaki: The University of Osaka

No 18058, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This study investigates whether a meeting environment’s visual openness influences team productivity and communication quality. We conducted a randomized controlled trial with participants assigned to discussions held in a transparent glass meeting room (treatment) or a fully curtained room (control). Team productivity was evaluated based on the quality of participants’ policy proposals. Communication quality was assessed using transcript-based indicators such as laugh frequency and topic diversity. We found that groups in visually open meeting rooms received significantly higher proposal ratings and exhibited greater emotional positivity and topic diversity, highlighting that within-session dynamics expose how environmental design affects group interaction.

Keywords: randomized controlled trial; visual openness; communication quality; team productivity; workplace design; natural language processing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 J24 M54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp and nep-hrm
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