Physical space, culture and organisational creativity – a longitudinal study

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore the potential positive effects of the design of a physical organisational environment on the emergence of an organisational culture conducive to organisational creativity. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on an in-depth, longitudinal case study, the aim being to enhance understanding of how a change in physical space, including location, spatial organisation and architectonic details, supports cultural change. Findings – It is suggested that physical space plays an implicit yet significant role in the emergence of a culture conducive to organisational creativity. It appears from the case analysis that there are three aspects of culture in particular, equality, openness and collectivity, that may be positively affected by the design of an organisation’s physical environment. Practical implications – The careful choice, planning and design of an organisation’s physical location, layout and style can advance the appearance of an organisational culture conducive to creativity. Originality/value – The paper describes a longitudinal study comparing a case organisation before and after a change in its physical environment. The longitudinal data illustrates how a change in the spatial environment contributes to the emergence of a culture conducive to organisational creativity.

Promises and lures of open creative space for innovative teams

“…To this end, the teams want the workspace design department to offer its services and tools to make this customization easier and partially standardized in the spirit of the company. Already the space design is perceived as a nice proof of the company support toward freedom to explore personal and team own track which confort the findings of Kallio et al (2015).…”

“…For a company that is competitive in terms of new products, real property management and architectural design should imperatively support creativity, generating innovation and a fortiori potential benefits. This suggests that the innovative design of workspaces has the potential to positively or negatively influence organizational culture and creative processes (Kallio et al, 2015). The transdisciplinary and collaborative nature of the work of new products and services development teams requires spaces that support both dynamic interactions or intense and focused individual work (Hua et al, 2011) and the work in a community of practice mediated by the TICs that characterize the project teams (Harvey, 2014).…”

“…Table 1 shows this tentative framework with examples. Sundstrom & Sundstrom (1986); Kallio et al (2015) Analysis level from Vischer (2007); input/output adapted from Sundstrom & Sundstrom (1986); examples adapted from Vischer (2007) and this study.…”

Spatial Configuration Based on Amount of Communication for Organizational Creativity in Interior Design Firms

“…The process in organizational creativity, begins with generating the creation, followed by disseminating and leveraging the process until the organization's objectives are fulfilled. Many scholars have noted that organizational elements such as dynamic interactions, motivation, social implications, skills, abilities, task complexity, organizational culture and climate, as well as technological and spatial environments can affect creativity in the workplace (Girdauskiene, 2013;Kallio, Kallio, &Blomberg, 2015;Koh, 2000;Martens, 2011;Sailer, 2011). Meanwhile, the discussion in this present study focuses specifically on spatial environment as the factor affecting creativity in the workplace.…”

“…Despite the rich interpretive discourses on the organizational elements that can galvanize creativity behaviors, some scholars have noted that there is still insufficient data on the association between physical spaces and communication with creative behavior (Greene & Myerson, 2011;Kallio et al, 2015;Kristensen, 2004;Martens, 2011;Sailer, 2011). Therefore, this study investigates the affects of physical spaces in communication by identifying the characteristics of spatial configurations that encourages organizational members to leverage their creativity by focusing on communication in the knowledge creation process.…”