Coworking from the Company’s Perspective - Serendipity-biotope or Getaway-spot?

Abstract

The phenomenon coworking has been around since 2005. While the initial drivers and beneficiaries where microbusinesses and freelancers, corporations have recently started to develop interest in the topic. Not because they see in coworking spaces a candidate to substitute their corporate office with, but because they are interested in the opportunities it offers in addition to the primary and secondary (home office) work location – be it from an innovation management or employee wellbeing standpoint. A pilot project with two Swiss ICT companies analysed the coworking movement from the perspective of corporations and identified value propositions as well as obstacles. Based on the different needs and behaviours of the experiment participants, four personae were identified. The study showed that although utilization by the pilot participants was on a very low level, the signal for change of the organizational culture is an interesting side effect of introducing coworking as an alternative work scenario.