Abstract

SMYTHE, Elizabeth; SPENCE, Deborah  and  GRAY, Jonathon. From Place to Space: A Heideggerian Analysis. Indo-Pac. j. phenomenol. (Online) [online]. 2018, vol.18, n.2, pp.1-11. ISSN 1445-7377.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02571862.2018.1538005.

In this paper, we pay attention to the impact on staff of what was a new place, Ko Awatea, within a large New Zealand hospital. The place became a space from within which a particular mood arose. This paper seeks to capture that mood and its impact. Using a Heideggerian hermeneutic approach, the study reported on drew on data from interviews with 20 staff. Philosophical notions about the nature and mood of place/space are explored. As staff claimed this space, the mood that emerged was of liveliness, buzz and comfort. It became a space where people wanted to be, where they met others, where conversations unfolded, where thinking happened in new ways. Staff places tend to be sacrificed or poorly resourced in resource-tight environments. We argue that creating a space that feels home-like, where staff come, linger and engage in community is a priority for generating the mood and thinking of an organization. Such spaces do not happen by chance; it takes forethought and intentionality. The gift of such space is the thinking that is sparked and grown.

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