| Summary: | Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1999. === Includes bibliographical references (p. 133-135). === This thesis lays out a framework to address issues of uncertainty and constant change facing organizations in today's unstable and turbulent business world. The framework structures the complex process of workplace change and sets up a mechanism by which an inquiry into the existing nature of work practice drives the process of change. Framing the process of inquiry in the context of workplace change, the thesis develops methods and techniques of evaluation that engage people in the organization in a collaborative process of investigation and inquiry into the nature of their work practice. These techniques analyze people's perceptions of their spatial environment to understand the nature of work practice. The techniques are applied at Swanson Roberts, an executive search firm, and the results are analyzed to explore the relationship between spatial inquiry and the nature of work practice. The thesis demonstrates that an inquiry into the spatial environment can lead to an understanding of existing work practices which in turn drives the process of change, thus establishing a dynamic coherence between the workplace, work practices and organizational change. The thesis finally explores methods to integrate perceptions of the spatial environment with patterns of work practice in order to sustain change in organizations, and develops simple strategies that take the first step in helping organizations "learn" to continuously respond and adapt to the changing business environment. === by Rashmi Venkatesh. === S.M.
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