From coordinating in space to coordinating through space: A spatial perspective on coordinating

Abstract

The spatial turn in organization studies has redefined our understanding of physical space, portraying it no longer as a passive backdrop for organizational actions but as actively produced through organizational actions and as shaping organizational actions in turn. In contrast to other areas of organization studies, research on coordination has not yet harvested the potential of this spatial turn for its theorizing, still treating physical space predominantly as context. In this article we develop a spatial perspective on coordination that acknowledges how coordination practices (re)produce physical space, indirectly affecting coordination outcomes; and how spatial production might even be purposefully employed for coordinating. Building on Lefebvre’s theory of spatial production, we theorize how actors might purposefully coordinate through configurational processes of designing, enacting and shaping their collective experience of physical space. This conceptual shift from coordinating in space to coordinating through space has important implications for coordination research and practice.