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.

Citation

Rese, A., Kopplin, C.S. and Nielebock, C. (2020), "Factors influencing members’ knowledge sharing and creative performance in coworking spaces", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 24 No. 9, pp. 2327-2354. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-04-2020-0243