Innovation in Public Administration: Evolving Sociomaterial Practices Through Desk Sharing Implementation

This study investigates the implementation of desk sharing within a traditionally rigid public administration context. While commonly adopted in private organizations to enhance efficiency and collaboration, desk sharing remains rare and underexplored in the public sector. Through a sociomaterial lens, the research examines how spatial flexibility reshapes work routines, social dynamics, and perceptions of belonging. The case focuses on a distinctive setup where enclosed offices are shared daily by rotating employee groupings, diverging from typical open-plan models. An interpretive ethnographic methodology, combining field observations, informal interactions, photographs, and survey data, captures the lived experience of this transformation. The study aims to understand how physical environments co-construct organizational life, offering insights for future workplace innovations across public institutions.