Knowledge Creation within the Boundaries of Physical Spaces| A Case Study of Individual Knowledge Creators within an Innovative Firm

• Main Author: Leveille, Daniel Jude
• Language: EN
• Published: Northcentral University 2019
• Subjects: Business administration|Cognitive psychology|Architecture
• Online Access: http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=13812733

<p> Organizational success is dependent on innovation, which is dependent upon the creation of new knowledge, and thus was an important area for new research. Architectural designers and environmental psychologists identified a causal relationship between a physical environment and the behavior of its occupants. The general problem was the absence of evidence-based guidance to plan employee workspace in organizational strategic decisions to support knowledge creation, organizational learning, and innovation. The specific problem for this research effort was to reduce the theoretical uncertainty concerning a wide range of physical space attributes and spatial arrangements, which enable or hinder knowledge functions. The concept of architectural determinism indicated architectural design affected human behavior as an independent variable of cause and effect. This study integrated the focused results of previous researchers on the separate features of the physical environment. This study gathered technical information about workspaces in various building structures for architects, organizational managers, and knowledge-workers to consider in construction projects for the selection of physical space attributes to enhance results as ideation and knowledge sharing. The theoretical lens included the organizational knowledge creation (OKC) theory and the socio-technical systems (STS) theory. This study explored the physical space attributes where 11 knowledge workers created new knowledge and shared their new knowledge with others. The participants contributed to both radical and incremental innovations, 64% and 36% respectively. This research followed the biographical narrative interpretive method open narrative interview style. Coding protocols separated the data for the actual physical space attributes experienced by knowledge creators and knowledge workers. The findings included, access, indoor environment quality (air quality, lighting, noise, thermal comfort), room characteristics (colors, condition, shape, type, and ceilings), biophilics, furnishings, pictures, technology, and windows (daylight and views). This study found how stimulation outside of ideation spaces, windows in ideation spaces, and standing and walking in collaboration spaces contributed to knowledge creation and sharing. Further, this study found why: windows, standing and walking, isolation and quiet rooms, pictures, daylight spectrum lighting, standing desks, and thermal comfort contributed to knowledge creation; and why soundproof collaboration spaces and thermal comfort contributed to knowledge sharing. Specific contributions of this research study expanded the understanding of how knowledge creators use window views to expand their mind space for new thoughts, and recommended future research on substitutions for the stimulation of window views. Furthermore, the role of isolation and quiet spaces to prevent the loss of knowledge creators&rsquo; train of thought requires future research when the knowledge creator is out walking to experience sensory stimulation while thinking. Future researchers should also explore use of the proposed triangulation instrument for a virtual focus group as a modified nominal group technique to expand use of triangulation to increase transparency and the usefulness of any qualitative research findings.</p><p>