Smart workspaces and the sense of ownership – the impact of the work environment in the emergence of psychological ownership

The presence of psychological ownership in a work environment can result in enhanced commitment, increased motivation and a strong sense of loyalty towards the organization. The purpose of this paper is to identify if the smart workspaces, that promote the idea of “our” space, can lead to psychological ownership. Specifically, we investigated how the work environment influences three mechanisms through which psychological ownership emerges: the control over the ownership target, the level of knowledge gained over the target and the investment of the self into the target. We collected the data by conducting 20 in-depth interviews and the results highlight that most of the employees do not feel like they have their own place mainly due to the lack of privacy and the impossibility to personalize the workspace according to their needs. Regarding the three mechanisms studied, the results reveal that employees perceive a restricted level of control over the workspace. Nevertheless, they acknowledge that such an environment actually promotes knowledge sharing and communication among team members. This study also provides recommendations for companies on how to improve employee satisfaction and to foster the psychological ownership.