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Researchers say standing during meetings can make them more less confrontational and more creative.

They say removing chairs from meeting rooms could even improve the health of workers.

The study also shows that using standing desks could be more effective than previously thought.

Researchers say standing during meetings can make them more less confrontational and more creative - and that using standing desks could be more effective than previously thought

'Organizations should design office spaces that facilitate non-sedentary work,' said Andrew Knight of  Washington University in St. Louis, who led the research.

The study used wearable sensors to measure participants' activity levels, and will be featured in an upcoming issue of Praxis, Olin's journal of research that impacts business.

Removing chairs could be a low-cost way to redesign an office space while also tackling the health effects of sitting in one place for too long, Knight says, citing mounting evidence that a sedentary lifestyle is bad for people's health.

'Our study shows that even a small tweak to a physical space can alter how people work with one another,' Knight says.

'We were particularly interested in the role of a sedentary workspace because standing desks were a new option that was available to faculty members for outfitting their offices,' he says.

'We wondered how this type of arrangement would play out for people working together in a group to achieve a collective goal.'

Participants wore small sensors around their wrists to measure 'physiological arousal' - the way people's bodies react when they get excited.

When a person's arousal system becomes activated, sweat glands around the feet and hands release bursts of moisture.

The sensors pass a small current of electricity through the skin to measure these moisture bursts.

Knight and Baer found that the teams who stood had greater physiological arousal and were less territorial about ideas than those in the seated arrangement.

Researchers say standing during meetings can make them more less confrontational and more creative.

Members of the standing groups reported that their team members were less protective of their ideas.

This reduced territoriality, led to more information sharing and higher quality videos.

'Seeing that the physical space in which a group works can alter how people think about their work and how they relate with one another was very exciting,' Knight says.

Knight encourages organizations to experiment with their office spaces.

Removing chairs and adding whiteboards are low-cost options that encourage brainstorming and collaboration.

Abandoning chairs could make meetings more productive, researchers say: they called for firms to experiment with standing desks and alternative meeting room designs

In his own office, Knight uses an adjustable-height desk so he can sit or stand and tries to minimize time spent seated in meetings. He is now experimenting with walking meetings too.

'We've really just scratched the surface on linking group dynamics research with the physical space,' Knight says.