The professors created test meetings, as it were, to see if their theories held water. They staged meetings to task groups with planning and producing a recruiting video for the university, as they might for developing marketing content for a business. Those who stood said they felt their colleagues were more open to their ideas, less territorial, and overall, made a better video.

“Our results suggest that, if leaders aspire to enhance collaborative knowledge work, they might consider eschewing the traditional conference room setup of tables and chairs,” the professors write.