The map and the territory. Sensemaking and sensebreaking through the organisational architecture (Mapa i terytorium. Nadawanie i odbieranie sensu przez architekture organizacyjna)

“The map is not the territory” is a famous dictum by Alfred Korzybski that accurately describes the difficult relations between organisational structure and space. With the evolution of the contemporary approaches to organisational design, both these issues have faced a deep paradigmatic shift. The concept of organisational structure has advanced through functional, divisional, matrix, lean, networked, virtual and fractal approaches, reflecting the reorganisation of entrepreneurial processes and sources of competitive advantage. Concurrently with that, the principles of organisational space arrangement evolved from Taylorist offices, through Bürolandschaft, Action Office, cube farms, to networking, virtual and casual working places, reflecting the changing corporate cultures and the essence of modern work. While agility of organisational design, accompanied by elasticity of working environment might seem very appealing in a modern economy, it often lacks the elements of identity building and sensemaking that are crucial for contemporary knowledge workers.