Creativity-enhancing work environments: Eventisation through an inspiring work atmosphere in temporary proximity

The objective of this paper is to understand how work processes and the quality of physical places support creative knowledge generation. The creation of knowledge is linked to both social space and physical place, and is influenced by steady socio-spatial dynamics. In workplaces, the space-time dynamics of knowledge creation coincide with the physical characteristics of place. On the basis of qualitative interviews with Design thinking workshop facilitators, as well as participants, the influence of three types of creative support (psychosocial, inspirational and functional) is linked to the elements of place, people and process in this specific innovation method. This paper discusses in which ways place, people and process contribute to creating a creativity-enhancing workspace and inspiring atmosphere in temporary spatial proximity. Eventisation of the innovation process, and interaction in temporary spatial proximity, are important prerequisites for keeping knowledge creation exciting.Ziel dieses Beitrags ist es, den Zusammenhang zwischen Arbeitsprozessen, der Qualität der physischen Arbeitsumgebungen und der Unterstützung von Kreativität bei der Schaffung neuen Wissens zu analysieren. Die Generierung neuen Wissens wird stets sowohl durch soziale Prozesse als auch spezifische, physische Orte beeinflusst. Arbeitsplätze vereinen die sozialen Dynamiken von Wissensgenerierung mit den räumlichen Charakteristiken des Ortes. Mithilfe von qualitativen Interviews mit Design thinking-Workshopteilnehmern und -anbietern wird aufgezeigt, inwiefern sich unterschiedliche Formen der Unterstützung von kreativen Prozessen (psychosoziale, inspirierende und funktionale Unterstützung) mit den unterschiedlichen Elementen dieser Innovationsmethode - Ort, Mensch und Prozess - verbunden sind. Der Beitrag diskutiert, inwiefern das Zusammenspiel von place, people und process dazu beiträgt, eine kreativitätsfördernde Arbeitsumgebung sowie eine stimulierende Atmosphäre in temporärer Nähe zu schaffen. Die "Eventisierung" des Innovationsprozesses sowie die Interaktion in temporärer räumlicher Nähe sind hierbei wichtige Voraussetzungen, um den Prozess der Wissensgenerierung spannend zu halten

A “Motor” for the Neighbourhood? Urban Planning and the Challenges of Relocating Cultural Infrastructures

In the past 40 years, alternative cultural institutions have been established in many Western welfare states to respond locally to the social and urban crises that have arisen in the post-war era. Community centres and workshops for local history and youth offer new opportunities for cultural and social participation and complement the offerings at more traditional cultural infrastructures such as art museums, theatres, and opera houses. Initially borne of grassroots movements that struggled for political recognition and necessary resources in protracted disputes with municipal authorities, these facilities now play important roles in the cultural landscape of many cities. In response to calls for a “democratisation of culture” and social development programmes targeting urban geographical inequalities, these institutions provide accessible and persistent spaces for socialisation, cultural empowerment, and negotiating community concerns. These facilities are often located on brownfields and are material manifestations of socioeconomic change and urban regeneration. Using the relocation of an established socio-cultural centre to a new neighbourhood in the city of Heidelberg, Germany, as an example, we seek to understand the evolving ways political and social relations are formed, negotiated, and challenged through cultural infrastructures. By analysing newspaper coverage, policy documents, and interviews with stakeholders from urban planning, city administration, community work, and resident populations, we map and evaluate shifting planning discourses and forms of embeddedness in the processes of de- and re-localisation. We end by reflecting on more open and nuanced understandings of cultural infrastructures that could generate multiple and diverse outcomes interacting and possibly outbalancing each other

Obstacles to the diffusion of adaptation in the Rhein-Neckar region in Germany

Because the impacts of climate change are felt at the local level, we assess adaptation diffusion mechanisms (i.e., learning, competition, and emulation) among smaller big cities and medium-sized towns. Since the diffusion of adaptation has immediate spatial implications, we argue that local conditions play an important role in the diffusion process. The densely populated Rhein-Neckar Metropolitan Region in Germany is an ideal case for studying diffusion mechanisms with regard to adaptation. Using a rich data set of 28 interviews, we unpack the views of local actors such as mayors, city council politicians, city administration representatives, and representatives from regional agencies and identify factors influencing the diffusion of adaptation. We find limited or compromised diffusion due to insufficient knowledge about adaptation, competition between municipalities, and cooperation with cities outside the region. In addition, we find some (albeit limited) political will for adaptation. While some of the interviewed politicians considered making long-term investments in adaptation, most highlighted competing local issues and viewed adaptation with caution, illustrating adaptation’s lack of salience and social legitimacy. Indeed, one crucial finding was that housing and mobility are more important to a wide range of politicians and bureaucrats alike. By examining diffusion mechanisms at the subnational level, we combine theoretical perspectives from political science and geography to show how local decision-makers—in particular, politicians—influence the diffusion mechanisms of adaptation

The Digital Disruption of Strategic Paths: An Experimental Study

In this paper, we draw on the literatures on path dependence and disruptive innovation to examine in an experimental setting how path-dependent firms respond to digital disruption. As our results indicate, in the face of digital disruption, path-dependent firms tend to renovate the technological foundation on which their strategic path is based if they have the opportunity to reproduce their established strategic path. Our findings also suggest that path-dependent firms equally tend to renovate their technological foundation or the targeted market segment in the face of digital disruption if they are unable to reproduce their established strategic path. Our findings provide insights into the challenges that digitization imposes on established firms, complement the literature on path dependence with insights into path disruption, contribute an integrated view to the literature on disruptive innovation, and offer some guidance to practitioners

From Beyond the Stars: Innovation and Inspiration in Meiji Japanese Art, 1868-1912

Design by Tom Wagner. Photography by the Kruizenga Art Museum, Tom Wagner, and Curatorial Assistance/WorldBridge Art, Inc. Produced by Storming the Castle Pictures (StCP) for the Kruizenga Art Museum as a catalogue for the exhibition, From Beyond the Stars, August 29 - December 16, 2017. Photographs, text and design copyright 2017 Hope College and Tom Wagner, no reproduction or use of any material, in whole or in part, without the written permission of Hope College.https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/kam_catalogs/1001/thumbnail.jp

Kulturelle Infrastrukturen in deutschen Klein- und Mittelstädten : Eine Typisierung der Standortgemeinschaften von Einrichtungen der kulturellen Daseinsvorsorge

Daten zu kulturellen Einrichtungen in Deutschland sind durch ein hohes Maß an Heterogenität hinsichtlich Verfügbarkeit und analytischer Vergleichbarkeit geprägt. Dies wird in Bemühungen um eine raumplanerisch motivierte Typisierung von Städten deutlich, die sich bislang insbesondere auf Großstädte beschränken und nur eine geringe Zahl kultureller Indikatoren berücksichtigen. Darüber hinaus mangelt es den anhaltenden Diskussionen um die sozialräumliche Daseinsvorsorge an quantifizierbaren und qualifizierbaren Grundlagen, welche über die Bereitstellung technischer Einrichtungen hinaus jene Angebote in den Mittelpunkt rücken, die das alltägliche soziale Leben ermöglichen, darunter Einrichtungen der Bildung und Kultur. Ziel dieser Studie ist es, mit Hilfe einer Datenbasis, die kulturelle Einrichtungen von neun Sparten umfasst, Standortstrukturen in den wissenschaftlich vernachlässigten Raumtypen der Klein- und Mittelstädte zu analysieren. Mit Hilfe einer Hauptkomponentenanalyse wurden Raummuster gemeindespezifischer Standortgemeinschaften identifiziert, die als eine Funktionsdifferenzierung von „Breitenkultur und Hochkultur“, „Lesen und Kunst“ und „Musizieren und Sichbilden“ angesprochen werden können. Die Ergebnisse unterstreichen die Bedeutung von Klein- und Mittelstädten für die kulturelle Daseinsvorsorge und stellen systematische Ansatzpunkte für eine regionale Kulturgovernance zur Verfügung