How do work tasks and activities relate to the hybrid work environment? How can this environment facilitate knowledge creation?

This thesis centered around the knowledge worker and how the hybrid work environment can facilitate knowledge creation. Modern society is a knowledge society in which the knowledge worker is the key individual. They manage knowledge as a resource and are engaged in a continuous conversion process of tacit to explicit knowledge and vice versa during social interactions at work. New knowledge is created and distributed throughout the organization in this process. As part of the organization’s knowledge system, it uses knowledge to develop new products.

A Systemic Approach

In direct contact, open interviews focused on what they do at work, how they do it, and what role the work environment plays. Hybrid work environments were analyzed according to design principles derived from Montessori learning environments. Knowledge creation is a process of learning that the context has to enable. Finally, an iterative development process in exchange with an architect and an office planning specialist led to a concept that knowledge workers want to use.

Changing the System

The Knowledge Configurator is an interactive planning tool that empowers the primary stakeholder, the knowledge worker, to adapt their hybrid work environment for knowledge creation.

Physical sandbox: Around a physical board with movable figurines, users prototype and experiment with different work environment configurations in a playful analog manner

Digital tool: Informs users about knowledge conversion methods and learning environment characteristics. Environments can be documented, evaluated, and compared using frameworks.