Coworking : A Creative Workspace

Abstract: Coworking is a new type of work model that has been developing rapidly during the 21th century. However, no academic research has been conducted on the subject yet. We have, therefore, decided to study the subject in order to evaluate if and how Coworking has an effect on creativity. The problem with this thesis is that creativity is a broad subject that includes several variables. This has led us to study theories within the field of: innovation, motivation, personal traits, and environment in respect to the Creative Process by Sawyer (2006). These theories have laid the foundation of our theoretical framework and are used to study our purpose and answer the research questions. This thesis is built upon data from individual case studies from semi-structured interviewees with coworkers from The Hub in Stockholm, Sweden. These interviews have then been transcribed and categorized by the Content Analysis in accordance with Hancock (1998).  The data has then been analyzed in-depth by using Eisenhardt’s Cross-Case Pattern Analysis (1989) in order to evaluate the relevance and reliability of the data. The results from our analysis are presented in unity with our method and theoretical framework, this part concludes with a reflection over our purpose and suggestions for future areas of research. The main finding from the results is that Coworking has a positive effect on creativity. But, this is mainly due to the mix of people participating in Coworking. The diverse group of coworkers creates at network of knowledge located in an open atmosphere that simplifies the creation of new ideas. We believe that this thesis has contributed to the academic society as it currently is the only academic paper within the area of Coworking.