Academic Researchers’ Requirements for Workplaces Supporting Knowledge Creation

This dissertation examines the workplace requirements of academic researchers in campus settings. Workplaces play an important role in fostering knowledge creation and university-industry collaboration. The research aims to provide knowledge to facility managers and corporate real estate managers regarding workplace requirements of researchers. A qualitative approach is adopted, utilizing survey study with open-ended questions, and literature review as methods. This dissertation bridges knowledge from several research areas—workplace management (the nature of the workplace), knowledge management (knowledge creation theory), and educational research (typology of academic disciplines)—thus forming a novel approach to research aimed at understanding the workplace requirements of academic researchers, as well as the diversity of these requirements.

When seeking to understand the differences in researchers' workplace requirements, the most meaningful factor influencing them is the academic discipline of the researchers, especially in terms of the presence or absence of a shared paradigm, including shared beliefs about knowledge creation within that discipline. Based on the findings, it is concluded that academic workplaces should fulfil the diverse workplace requirements of researchers, particularly influenced by the presence or absence of a shared paradigm. Regarding workplace requirements' similarities, the conclusion is that academic workplaces for researchers should support both individual concentration as well as interaction, regardless of researchers' academic discipline, age, or gender. Investigating the workplace requirements of multidisciplinary research teams could offer an intriguing possibility for further research.