What Do We Know about Co-Working Spaces? Trends and Challenges Ahead

Abstract

Co-working spaces (CWSs) have emerged as a distinctive phenomenon in the sharing economy. They are collaborative environments that feed innovation and creativity under the slogan “working alone together”. While policy makers and scholars were optimistic about their role in promoting entrepreneurial endeavours and fostering growth, the spread of the COVID-19 across the world has drastically changed the way we work, communicate, and navigate daily life. This study offers a comprehensive review of the existing literature on CWSs. To do so, a bibliometric analysis is proposed, combining the use of traditional bibliometric tools with science mapping techniques. A total of 118 documents are reviewed and the results are presented at two different levels: (1) descriptive analysis of the status of the research on a CWS and (2) its conceptual structure (topics and trends). The study concludes with some directions for future research. Specifically, based on the recurrent topics discussed up to date in the literature, it is possible to identify four key areas—i.e., geographical location, physical space, business models and inclusive communities—that are promising for research and that may bring useful insights for defining co-working’s place in a post-pandemic society.

Sustainable-Development Measurement of China’s Coworking Industry Using Social-Network Analysis Method

“…Simply imitating foreign advanced experience instead of adopting the development path with Chinese characteristics is the key bottleneck restricting the sustainability of the coworking industry. What is different from other countries is that China's coworking industry embodies a profound gene of entrepreneurship and innovation since its early stage of development, and most of the leading enterprises are born out of the incubators and maker space operation agencies [13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. The initial goal of the coworking industry represented by the United States and the United Kingdom was to revitalize some old factories, while the original intention of the industry in China was to provide relatively cheap office spaces for entrepreneurs in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, whose housing and renting prices are very high, so as to reduce the cost of entrepreneurship.…”

“…First, the case study of successful coworking office spaces such as Youke Workshop, WeWork, and Venture Café was a main research direction. Scholars studied the concept, design principles, and strategies of coworking spaces, and some scholars studied their relationship with the design of coworking space in combination with the background of industrial transformation and entrepreneurship [13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. Another research direction is the construction of the business model of coworking industry, focusing on analyzing business model elements, including the profit model, and positioning and business system.…”

Smart City Thailand: Visioning and Design to Enhance Sustainability, Resiliency, and Community Wellbeing

“…Co-working offices are generally building locations that offer desk space for a fee, but they also hope to attract those looking for a comfortable and aesthetic work environment that provides valuable social contacts and collaboration with other professionals [121,122]. This type of arrangement may be of particular interest to self-employed creative professionals, freelancers, start-ups, and knowledge workers [123], and is increasingly popular in North America, Europe, Australia, and parts of Asia [124][125][126]. However, uptake has been slow in Thailand, with most co-working spaces occurring informally at coffee shops and cafes [125].…”

“…knowledge workers [123], and is increasingly popular in North America, Europe, Australia, and parts of Asia [124][125][126]. However, uptake has been slow in Thailand, with most co-working spaces occurring informally at coffee shops and cafes [125].…”

Digitalization of Coworking Space Services

“…Digitalization is a tool for coworking spaces to innovate. Business Model Innovation (Tresh & Billinger, 2017) becomes essential in the light of the current situation concerning the fact that people are encouraged to work from home, which raises the issue of the validity of the traditional coworking space business model (Berbegal-Mirabent, 2021). The spread of Covid-19 virus introduced the biggest remote-working exercise worldwide in the human history.…”