THOUGHT LEADERSHIP:\u00a0The Hidden Infrastructure of Innovation: What Makes Some Spaces More Creative Than Others?<\/p>\n
By Paul Keursten (CEO at Workshop17)<\/em><\/p>\n As CEO of Workshop17, Paul Keursten has spent years thinking about what really drives creative output. Not the buzzwords or office perks, but the underlying conditions that either spark great ideas or quietly smother them. In this piece, he explores how physical environments shape mental states, how layout and lighting affect behaviour, and why design decisions \u2013 often dismissed as cosmetic \u2013 have lasting effects on culture, productivity and innovation. If we care about the quality of thinking and acting in our organisations, we need to care far more about where that thinking happens.<\/p>\n The idea that creativity is all about the people in the room has dominated how we think about innovation for decades. Hire the right minds, assemble dynamic teams, mix seniority and junior energy; and the ideas will follow. But the physical space where this thinking takes place is often treated as secondary. A blank canvas. A neutral backdrop.<\/p>\n It isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Where we work shapes how we think. It influences our interactions, our focus, our willingness to speak up \u2013 even our mood. It follows that space is not just the container for collaboration; it is one of its key ingredients.<\/p>\n Neuroscience shows that our surroundings, from light and noise to the presence of others, have a direct impact on how we think and feel. Behavioural design builds on this, revealing how subtle shifts in layout or atmosphere can reshape how people move, interact and focus. Organisational psychology connects the dots, reminding us that culture is not just defined in strategy documents. It is experienced daily, through spatial cues like furniture placement, sound and the invisible norms a room encourages or suppresses.<\/p>\n Enter the open plan office. This work solution concept was once championed as the answer to innovation. Tear down the walls, the thinking went, and ideas will flow. But while open spaces may encourage visibility, they can also erode privacy and focus. The constant proximity to others, the background noise, the lack of boundaries; these often lead not to spontaneous collaboration but to quiet withdrawal. People find ways to disappear in plain sight: headphones go on, requests for remote days increase, people begin to seek polite distance. The cost of bad design isn\u2019t just discomfort \u2013 it\u2019s disengagement.<\/p>\n A better model acknowledges that different types of work demand different environments. Focused tasks need quiet. Strategy sessions need stimulation. Informal exchanges \u2013 where some of the best ideas begin \u2013 need somewhere relaxed, without the pressure of being seen to perform. The most effective workspaces are zoned, flexible and intentional. They offer choice, not just space. They offer places, not space: places to be comfortable, focused and connected to achieve what you set out to achieve. They follow the natural ebb and flow of creativity instead of forcing it in one common, soulless space.<\/p>\n What matters even more than layout is the emotional signal a space sends. Does it invite people in or push them away? Does it communicate that individuals are trusted to manage their time and energy; or that they are being monitored, measured and contained? Some may even go so far as to say like lab animals being observed for behavioural changes which is the antithesis to inspired thought.<\/p>\n In one industrial-era factory, workers began queuing to clock out at 3.45pm, long before the 4pm end of shift. Not because they were lazy, but because the environment trained them to value time over contribution. They were managed by the minute\u2026 and they responded in kind. Innovation doesn\u2019t happen when people are watching the clock. It happens when they lose track of time because they\u2019re absorbed in what they\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n Compare this with spaces designed for movement and encounter. A person grabbing a coffee ends up in conversation with someone working on something completely different and unexpected connections are made. These collisions don\u2019t happen by accident. They happen because the environment was built to encourage them, subtly and respectfully.<\/p>\n A case in point would be when Workshop17 was in its formative years, the founders were intent that their workspaces would welcome everyone from solo entrepreneurs to corporate executives. The aim wasn\u2019t just flexibility; it was to remove the invisible barriers that keep people in silos. The thinking was simple: new ideas often come from unlikely conversations. So why not design a space that discourages them?<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a growing recognition that the traditional one-size-fits-all approach to workspace design fails to serve the reality of neurodiverse teams. Bright lights, loud conversations and rigid routines may suit some but overwhelm others. A truly creative space must accommodate variation \u2013 not just in work styles, but in sensory needs and social energy. Offering pockets of calm, tools for privacy and spaces for quiet recharge is not a perk \u2013 it\u2019s essential for inclusive thinking.<\/p>\n Control is another overlooked factor. Research consistently shows that when people have autonomy over how, where and when they work, they perform better. This applies to the physical environment too. Being able to choose your seat, adjust the lighting, close a door, or move to a different room gives people a sense of ownership; and that, in turn, nurtures psychological safety.<\/p>\n The post-pandemic shift to hybrid work has only sharpened the need for environments that feel human. People who\u2019ve worked from home know the value of comfort, autonomy and quiet. In order to bring them back into a shared space, employers can\u2019t rely on obligation. The office has to offer something better \u2013 not just in terms of resources, but in terms of experience. It has to earn people\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n That means getting rid of outdated binaries like \u201cwork\/life balance\u201d, which assume the two are separate and in competition. People don\u2019t stop being parents, partners or creatives when they enter the office. The best workspaces acknowledge this; not with gimmicks, but with thoughtful design that supports the full range of human needs.<\/p>\n Even rituals matter. Weekly check-ins, shared meals, open brainstorming hours \u2013 all these signal values, set tone, and help people align without needing to over-communicate. The environment can support these rituals or subtly undercut them. If there\u2019s no place to gather comfortably, the informal sync stops. If it\u2019s hard to find a quiet corner, deep thinking is replaced with shallow tasks.<\/p>\n Psychological safety is often spoken about in terms of leadership or management style. But it\u2019s also physical. When people feel overheard, exposed or crowded, they shut down. When they feel at ease; when they have space to think, speak, and sometimes just be, they open up.<\/p>\n So, what makes some spaces more creative than others? It isn\u2019t the presence of a whiteboard or a brainstorm room. It\u2019s whether people feel they belong. Whether they feel safe to suggest something half-formed. Whether they sense that the environment is on their side.<\/p>\n True innovation doesn\u2019t just need talent. It needs trust. And trust is built \u2013 not just by people, but by places too.<\/p>\n For more info, visit ? www.workshop17.com, ? email info@workshop17.co.za or ? call 021 205 9000<\/p>\n