Where is an Organization? How Workspaces Are Appropriated to Become (Partial and Temporary) Organizational Spaces

Abstract

One question not addressed in communicative constitution of organizations (CCO) literature is where an organization is located. As more workers work on the road, at coffee shops, from home, and in coworking spaces, it is important to consider the relationship of these spaces to the organization. In this study, I argue that when someone appropriates features of a space to do work, that space becomes organizational. This process allows spaces like coffee shops and homes to become at least partially and temporarily organizational, rendering these workspaces as organizational contributors (to a certain extent). Using photo-elicitation interviews with workers in a variety of fields and organizations, I demonstrate gradients of spatial organizationality and show how, through appropriation, some spaces are more clearly organizational than others.