Do physical spaces foster creative performance? Insights from an ideation field experiment with creativity workshops

Despite companies investing heavily in creating dedicated physical spaces to enhance creativity, still little is known about the influence of such spaces on the actual creative outcome. In this chapter, the impact of the physical work environment on the actual and perceived creative performance of groups and individuals is examined. In total, four creativity workshops, each with ten participants in two different physical work environments were conducted with the aim of generating novel ideas. The results do not support a direct impact of the physical work environment on creative performance. However, there is evidence that fostering motivation and positive affective states is crucial for establishing a creativity-stimulating environment. This study contributes to current literature as one of the first studies to conduct an in-depth inquiry into the impact of physical spaces on creativity. Future research might therefore focus on the moderating role of the physical work environment for underlying processes that support creative performance.