The creative work environment: The relationship of the physical environment and creative teamwork at a state agency. A case study

Creative achievement of teams is increasingly recognized as an organization's most valuable production. Dramatically advancing technology has produced an almost unlimited amount of information available to corporate and government organizations. The critical challenge has become how to use that information most creatively. Accordingly, little expense is spared on identifying and training teams to enhance their potential for creative achievement. Paradoxically, although the cost of acquiring and maintaining the physical environment of such organizations is second only to the expense of its employees, little is known about how, or if, the physical environment influences their creative achievement.;The goal of this study is to explore and define the relationship between creative achievement of organizational teams and the physical environment in which they work. A naturalistic inquiry is used to identify the differences between work environments of teams in a government agency who have achieved different levels of creative performance. Environments are compared and assessed in terms of physical features and properties; teams are compared and assessed based on their characteristics and social influences known to influence creative achievement.;Creative teams are defined as those producing innovative, original, and novel solutions for their work. Seven teams were purposively selected to represent high and low levels of creative achievement and to represent work environments of two distinctive settings. Archival data, focus group interviews, observations, behavior mapping, and photography were employed to explore the multiple facets of the teams and their physical environment. Descriptive and integrative analyses of the data provided ample description of the teams' work environments.;A theoretical framework with propositions articulating how creative achievement is related to the physical environment, as confirmed by the data, are offered. First, physical features of the work environment that support creative teamwork provide functional opportunities for communication and collaboration. Second, features of the work environment include non-verbal self-expression that reflect the focus of the team's activities and level of creative achievement. Third, the team's exercise of control of the physical environment to fit their unique requirements is indicative of team motivation and autonomy.;Conclusions suggest ways organizational designers and managers may support creative achievement of teams through design of the physical work environment.