Innovation in creative environments: Understanding and measuring the influence of spatial effects on design thinking-teams

Abstract

Design thinking is a methodological approach addressing to solve wicked problems with multidisciplinary and cross-functional innovation teams. A flexible work environment enables innovation teams using this approach to ideate, create and design. This paper investigates the impact of creative environments on team wellbeing and performance as an outcome of perceptions, feelings and interactions of individual team members with their respective environment. The study introduces a new qualitative method, cultural probes, as an empirical instrument. The results of this study indicate that innovation teams need access to flexible spatial environments to fulfill their innovation process tasks (performance-oriented perspective), but also need different working zones to foster their team-wellbeing related activities (team-oriented perspective).