Abstract
Literature on organisational space has pointed at the political nature of space. In this article, we explore the relation between the physical space of organisations and change. Through a case study of a media company that successfully designed a new headquarters with the aspiration to become an open, coherent and transparent organisation, we describe and analyse the micropolitics of organisational space. Using the concept of ‘spatial tactics’, we explain how initial intentions with the building design were resisted and renegotiated at the micro level as employees began inhabiting organisational space, by which, we argue, room for change was made. The study contributes to the literature on space and organisational change by providing an empirical account of how spatial tactics matter for making buildings work in change initiatives.
Highlights
Literature on organisational space has pointed at the political nature of space
By studying how AM architecturally turns the organisation from ‘back- to frontstage’, we explore the politics of openness and the spatial tactics involved
We suggest that the issues of work and identity settlements are micropolitics in action that have to do with renegotiating the composition of the ‘we’ (Latour 2013) and it has to do with redrawing boundaries that create certain inclusions and exclusions
Summary
Literature on organisational space has pointed at the political nature of space. In this article, we explore the relation between the physical space of organisations and change. Using the concept of ‘spatial tactics’, we explain how initial intentions with the building design were resisted and renegotiated at the micro level as employees began inhabiting organisational space, by which, we argue, room for change was made. We explore how the politics of space empirically shows itself and unfolds on a micro level as the effect of a design strategy informed by bringing the organisation “out in new settings”. To this end, we study the confrontation between design policy and usage and we address the topics of space, organisation and politics by focusing on the corporate building as a medium for change. We understand the notion of ‘settlement’ in its double meaning, pointing to the dual and reciprocal effort of inhabiting space while negotiating and making compromises in and with space
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