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The spatial context of organizations: A critique of ‘creative workspaces’

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  • De Paoli, Donatella
  • Sauer, Erika
  • Ropo, Arja

Abstract

This paper examines office design as a spatial context of organizations. Organizations increasingly invest in designing workspaces to support employee creativity, foster company innovation and communicate a positive company image. This paper takes a critical view of this ‘hype’ by describing and analysing images of the headquarters of allegedly ‘creative workspaces’ published on the internet across a broad range of industries and corporations. Our analysis shows how their design follows standardized or stereotypical approaches to nurturing creativity: playfully or artistically designed open spaces, environments reminiscent of home, sports and play, nature, past/future technologies, or culturally aligned symbols. We discern underlying connections between office spaces and creativity, suggesting that creativity flourishes in happy, relaxed and playful communities within close-knit teams. We then identify three contradictions in relation to the existing literature on creativity and workspaces: individually versus collectively produced creativity; professionally designed workspaces versus workspaces created through participation; and planned versus emerging creativity.

Suggested Citation

  • De Paoli, Donatella & Sauer, Erika & Ropo, Arja, 2019. "The spatial context of organizations: A critique of ‘creative workspaces’," Journal of Management & Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 25(2), pages 331-352, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jomorg:v:25:y:2019:i:02:p:331-352_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Iris Vilnai-Yavetz & Anat Rafaeli, 2021. "Workspace Integration and Sustainability: Linking the Symbolic and Social Affordances of the Workspace to Employee Wellbeing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-22, October.
    2. Aurélie Leclercq Vandelannoitte, 2021. "The new paternalism? The workplace as a place to work-and to live," Post-Print hal-03328163, HAL.
    3. Aurélie Leclercq-Vandelannoitte, 2021. "Do coworking spaces promise a revolution or spark revenge? A Foucauldian spatio-material approach to the re-spatialization of remote work in coworking spaces," Post-Print hal-03330208, HAL.

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