Creative Space
by John Varney, founder of High Trenhouse – Centre for Management Creativity
I am preparing a presentation on “Space for Co-thinking” 
for the business department of the Jagiellonian University of Krakow. Reflecting on how creative work has evolved at High Trenhouse during the last 40 years I have come to understand how appropriate physical space needs to be overlaid with (metaphorical) emotional space to contain relationships as well as cognitive space where ideas can co-mingle. When all the conditions are optimised, the space between them is pregnant with creativity. Then it is ready for facilitation to work its magic.
In our modern era people are being manipulated and exploited, mostly through pleasure seeking, instant gratification and the stimulation of unnecessary appetites. Because creativity occurs mostly in the space between us and is dependent on high levels of trust, attention, sharing of information, pooling of diversity and so on, conditions for co-creation have to be carefully nurtured. Creative space rarely arises by chance and most spaces in which we are expected to be productive are seriously out of balance.
For instance, you book a room for a team meeting and, although it may be technically well-equipped, it perhaps lacks a good outlook (or even a window). Because “meeting” means no more than being in the same room, the décor frustrates your attempts to focus, the furniture no doubt needs re-arranging and the room has no soul. While providing a tolerable physical environment, display surfaces may be insufficient and the confines of space will hardly allow ideas to flow. Distractions abound and the energy of your event will leak away through the bar, dining room and other channels during breaks and overnight. Getting the depth of relationship your event demands will be difficult when so many aspects of space are stacked against you.
Of course, your ingenuity and dedication may enable you to overcome many of the obstacles. However, I urge you to take note of the multiple qualities of space that make a difference. Resist the temptation to put up with whatever space your client is content to use, just because it is convenient or cheap or because it is what they always use. Discover spaces that work best for you and then insist on using them so that you can do your best work on your client’s behalf.
Forty years of being both provider and user have enabled us to produce, here at High Trenhouse, special conditions that work exceptionally well for small residential groups (e.g. management teams) seeking a quantum leap in performance. Come and see for yourself. No doubt there are other places that have some of the desirable qualities. They will be worth seeking out. When you find them please tell us so we can champion their cause.