Employee Creativity in Coworking Spaces: Towards a Conceptual Framework

31 page Publication by Øystein Tønnessen in Kristiansand, Norge.
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Abstract in English:

Creative performance of knowledge workers outside the traditional office setting has become highly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pre-pandemic trend of corporate coworking; companies using coworking spaces as an alternative workplace solution, is predicted to grow further. This study aims to fill a research gap by identifying how corporate coworking may foster employee creativity, crucial to company’s innovation and competitiveness. A systematic review of the coworking literature is conducted to critically evaluate employee creativity in coworking spaces. Structural, relational, and cognitive social capital along with an individual and contextual view of creativity are utilised as the theoretical foundation for analysis and synthesis. A conceptual framework is proposed for empirical examination of creative performance in a corporate coworking context. The findings suggest thirteen factors influencing creativity in corporate coworking settings. The most prominent factors identified are social interaction and knowledge sharing. Moreover, we argue that corporate coworking corresponds with key dimensions of the Workplace Innovation concept. The literature review indicates a common assumption that creativity and innovation are consistently outcomes of coworking. Nonetheless, our study highlights that fostering employee creativity in shared office environments involves a complex social process, worth closer scholarly attention. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, and future research avenues are proposed.

Editor(s) Full Names Richard Ennals

Open Access? Yes

Journal European Journal of Workplace Innovation
Publication Year 2022
Volume 7
Publisher University of Agder
ISSN/ISBN 2387-4570
DOI 10.46364/ejwi.v7i1.891

English | Discipline Organization Studies