Brain power

Factors that influence collaborative capability in co-working spaces

A recent study1 looks at the factors that foster collaboration in co-working spaces. Co-working spaces are shared offices offering operational efficiency, and, for the purposes of the study, are also defined as organisations that host and promote a collaborative capability.

The study was exploratory, involving semi-structured interviews in 14 co-working spaces located in six Asian countries – Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Japan. A model comprising ten factors that had been identified in a previous case study was used as the basis of the initial interviews. From these interviews, new factors were added, and the model was refined and consolidated. The revised model was then used in the remaining interviews.

The model is based on four dimensions: enabling knowledge sharing, enhancing a creative field, enhancing an individual action for the collective, and supporting a collective action to an effective execution. Each of these dimensions aligns primarily with either “convenience sharing” or “community building” co-working types that have been identified in previous research:

  • Convenience sharing co-working spaces tend to foster collaborative capability through knowledge sharing and effective execution.
  • Community building co-working spaces tend to foster collaborative capability by enhancing a creative field and individual action for the collective.

These relationships are also illustrated in Figure 1.

Prevalence of collaboration factors considering the convenience sharing and community building approaches
Figure 1. Prevalence of collaboration factors considering the convenience sharing and community building approaches (source: Castilho & Quandt 2017).

Summary of factors that influence collaboration

Figure 2 shows the collaboration factors that had been identified in a previous case study (“Previous Factors That Influence Collaboration” column) together with the new factors identified through the interviews (“New Factors That Influence Collaboration” column).

Factors that influence collaboration around four intervening factors
Figure 2. Factors that influence collaboration around four dimensions (source: Castilho & Quandt 2017).

Limitations and recommendations for further research

The authors acknowledge that the study was conducted only in Asian countries and in a relatively limited sample of co-working spaces. The results may have been different if the interviews were conducted in a different cultural setting, and there may also be differences between developing and developed countries within Asia. They advise that “Further studies could involve the application of the resulting model of two types, four dimensions, and underlying factors to coworking spaces in other regions to verify model validation and potential adaptations.”

Header image: Silicon Straights Co-working space, Singapore. Adapted from Singapore, Dec-2014 by Mitch Altman which is licenced by CC BY-SA 2.0.

Reference:

  1. Castilho, M. F., & Quandt, C. O. (2017). Collaborative Capability in Coworking Spaces: Convenience Sharing or Community Building?. Technology Innovation Management Review, 7(12).
Rate this post

Bruce Boyes

Bruce Boyes (www.bruceboyes.info) is a knowledge management (KM), environmental management, and education professional with over 30 years of experience in Australia and China. His work has received high-level acclaim and been recognised through a number of significant awards. He is currently a PhD candidate in the Knowledge, Technology and Innovation Group at Wageningen University and Research, and holds a Master of Environmental Management with Distinction. He is also the editor, lead writer, and a director of the award-winning RealKM Magazine (www.realkm.com), and teaches in the Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) Certified High-school Program (CHP).

Related Articles

Back to top button