Abstract

The possibility that the physical space can support or disturb processes for innovation in production systems is overlooked in the manufacturing industry and in research. This article rests on three studies in manufacturing industries and one in a design firm, with a focus on the employees' subjective experience of the physical space in relation to innovation. The employees made photographs and used keywords (followed up with verbal interviews) to communicate the relationship they perceived between physical space and innovation. The study shows that there is a relationship between company culture and the individual’s choices of physical spaces understood to support or hinder innovation. From the results, it can be concluded, that manufacturing companies which were studied form cultures that produce few spaces that support divergent thinking, while such spaces are prioritized in the design firm. This article recommends clean and orderly spaces for the manufacturing industry; informal, collaborative, and visually simulative for the design company.