Thinking Allowed - 24/02/2010

CP Snow first used the phrase 'corridors of power' in his book Homecoming in 1956. It soon became a cliché, conjuring up a world of officialdom, hierarchy, whispers and secret machinations. The advent of open plan, with its airy atriums and glass walls, was supposed to put pay to all that, ushering in a new sense of democracy to the work place. However, research from Rachel Hurdley reveals the hidden values of corridors. The chance meetings, gossip and confrontations which actually undermine hierarchy will all be lost if we fail to appreciate the seemingly unimportant passage between doors. She discusses her research with Laurie Taylor and with the architect Jeremy Till. Simon Duncan, Professor of Comparative Social Policy at the University of Bradford, talks about the phenomenon of Living Apart Together - or 'LAT' - a form of relationship which keeps partners out of each other's living space.