Innovation Spaces: Towards a Framework for Understanding the Role of the Physical Environment in Innovation

Abstract

Firms are paying increasing attention to the physical environments in which creative and innovative activities take place. These environments reflect the firm's strategic intentions towards innovation and provide a physical embodiment of their desired modes of working. To date, this new phenomenon has received little academic attention. Based on both literature and also the authors' combined experiences through observing firms in Europe, this paper proposes a simple framework to aid practitioners and academics to better understand the design, role and goals of such spaces.