Factors influencing members’ knowledge sharing and creative performance in coworking spaces

Abstract

Purpose Coworking spaces (CWS) are a globally increasing phenomenon of new shared work environments used by freelancers, entrepreneurs and small companies that often work in information technology and creative industries. The purpose of this study is to examine coworkers’ knowledge sharing (KS), focusing on attitude, behavior and individual creativity. Several theoretical perspectives are deployed for factors influencing KS. Design/methodology/approach A research model is developed and tested, relying on a sample of 95 German coworkers using a structural equation modeling approach. Findings The attitude towards knowledge sharing and actual sharing behavior in CWS improve coworkers’ creativity. Behavior and attitude differ in positive impact depending on the level of collaboration orientation. Despite the presence of an agreeable atmosphere, lower collaborative orientation results in KS being rated lower. Practical implications Community commitment showed the highest positive impact on KS behavior. For community development, CWS will have to take differences in the KS behavior of their coworker client base into account to foster creativity. Originality/value The authors provide initial empirical insights into the relationship between KS and creativity in CWS. Core coworking values are shown not to form a uniform block but rather “collaboration” is acting as a discriminator.

Social networks in coworking spaces and individual coworker’s creativity

“…While the five core values loaded on one factor and uni-dimensionality could be established, the value “collaboration” is a discriminator for those working alone and team workers in the CWS. This is also a finding of Rese et al ( 2020 ) confirming member heterogeneity (Bouncken and Reuschl 2018 ). In addition, we contribute to research on network structure and similarly to research in other contexts.…”

“…Bouncken and Aslam ( 2019 ) confirmed that geographical proximity fosters knowledge sharing processes by coworkers while relying on in-depth qualitative interviews. Knowledge exchange processes and related antecedents, such as trust or community, have been studied by Bouncken and Reuschl ( 2018 ) on a conceptual level and Rese et al ( 2020 ) empirically. The latter found a positive relationship between attitudinal and intentional belief to share knowledge and individual creativity.…”

“…With the research model and the following SEM analysis, we contribute to the literature on coworking and related research, e.g., new ways of working (Gerards et al 2020), and focus on knowledge exchanged, social interaction, and creative outcomes (Bouncken and Aslam 2019;Garrett et al 2017;Gerdenitsch et al 2016;Rese et al 2020). In particular, we go beyond conceptual (Bouncken and Reuschl 2018) and qualitative analyses (Bouncken and Aslam 2019;Capdevila 2019;Spinuzzi et al 2019) or literature reviews (Jeske and Ruwe 2019).…”

“…Despite the increasing importance of coworking and CWS (statista.com 2019a , b ), there is currently a lack of research regarding social networks and the effect of network characteristics on (individual) creativity. So far in this context, there are predominantly conceptual and empirical studies investigating knowledge exchange in CWS concentrating on different antecedents, such as geographical proximity, trust or social interaction, and relating them to the process of knowledge exchange, and finally to outcome variables such as individual performance or creativity (Bouncken and Aslam 2019 ; Bouncken et al 2018 ; Bouncken and Reuschl 2018 ; Parrino 2015 ; Rese et al 2020 ). Going beyond these findings, our study generates an understanding of how different network characteristics such as structure (network size and centrality in the CWS), content (diversity of knowledge exchanged), supportiveness (emotional support, workplace friendship), and shared coworker governance mechanisms (based on trust, reciprocity) influence an individual coworker’s creativity.…”

A knowledge management culture in the European higher education system

“…The research by A. Rese, C. S. Kopplin, and C. Nielebock discovers the meanings of coworking space (CWS) [20]. A. Rese, et al studied the exchange of knowledge among col leagues, with a special focus on attitudes, behavior, and indi vidual creativity.…”