From ‘Adaptor’ to ‘Aggrieved’: Examining Physical Workspace Transitions as a Self-Regulatory Process

Physical workspaces are increasingly dynamic, requiring employees to adapt to newer, more open, and more flexible physical environments. While there is significant research on the relationship between physical workspace and aspects of employees’ working lives, such as their interactions, performance, and satisfaction, we still know little about the factors shaping individuals’ experiences of workspace changes. We utilize self-regulation theory to examine daily adjustment processes and the behavioral and cognitive responses individuals employ throughout a workspace adjustment. We do so by conducting a longitudinal mixed method field study, situated within an organization space change. It comprised a seven-day diary study during the change, plus pre-move and post-move surveys, complemented by two waves of in-depth interviews with employees before and after the transition. Quantitative findings showed daily adjustment efforts (identity marking) positively related to daily goal progress and work engagement, but daily job crafting was negatively related to these outcomes. However, both forms of adjustment efforts (marking and crafting) positively related to overall feelings of effective space adaptation two months post-move. Interview findings further unpack these results, highlighting the dynamism, but also potentially depleting nature, of self-regulatory processes during a space change. By generating a typology outlining categories of adaptation, we highlight the varied ways in which employees adapt or resist a workspace change and the factors that lead some employees to spatially adjust better than others. Research and practical implications are discussed.