The diagrams below show a typical American and a Japanese office.

The diagrams compare the layouts of a typical Japanese

office

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and a typical American

office

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.

Overall

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, the Japanese

office

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is designed with a more open-plan arrangement to promote group work and collective oversight,

whereas

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the American

office

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is more compartmentalised, with separate rooms for different purposes. In the Japanese

office

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, the department manager sits at the far end of the room facing two long rows of desks arranged in clusters. Each row is overseen by a section manager who sits centrally, with other employees positioned on either side. Chairs are placed around the perimeter, likely for visitors or extra staff. The absence of partitions creates a shared working space, allowing for easy communication between staff.

By contrast

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, the American

office

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has a segmented structure. There are dedicated rooms for copying, storage, and meetings, with two conference rooms placed adjacent to each other. Desks are grouped into cubicle-like arrangements in the centre, offering more privacy for individual work. Section managers have separate offices along one side,

while

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the department manager occupies a private

office

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at the bottom corner. Windows are present along both sides of the building, providing natural light to most areas.