Facilities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the representation of workplaces in the cinema and discuss its relevance to facilities management research.

Design/methodology/approach – An analysis of representation of work and the workplace in three films is made. These are Metropolis (1927), Wall Street (1987) and Clerks (1994). Cross-case themes are then discussed.

Findings – Although the three films are of different time periods and genres a number of common themes emerge. These include level of control over the work process, alienation from the product of work and social capital gained. This may have implications for how workplaces are perceived and interpreted. Analysis of representations of the workplace in popular culture may contribute to user-centred approaches to facilities management.

Research limitations/implications – The study is limited to three films. A different choice might produce different results.

Practical implications – Understanding representations of the workplace in popular culture may give insights into user responses to management actions.

Originality/value – Although there is a research literature on the analysis of popular culture within organizational studies this has not been taken up by facilities management researchers. This paper explores the relevance of the analysis of an aspect of popular culture for facilities management.