Description

Coworking spaces – defined as working spaces that are a third way between home and offices, were people work together in a common space, sharing the same tools and creating social interaction – are proliferating. Although the definition of coworking is clear, it is used as an umbrella for a large variety of different realities, characterized by different aspects. Several categories are emerging, such as living labs and fab labs, platforms, training and development centers, community of practices for specific categories of professionals. Not only they differ in the kind of services and purpose they offer, but also in the business model. Beyond representing one of the most straightforward examples of the so called “new way of working”, they are also creating new business opportunities and social values in different forms by fostering an ecosystem of professionals and companies. In fact, a growing number of companies is exploiting coworking spaces, to let their employees exploit the benefits of cross-fertilization and for talent recruiting.

With the analysis of multiple case studies of coworking spaces, the aim of the Thesis would be to explore and understand the world of coworking, to identify current drivers and models, and future trends. Some examples of research questions are: which are the alternative emerging categories of coworking spaces? Which are the characteristics that define those categories? Which are the different business opportunities that coworking spaces can create? Why and how established companies exploit coworking spaces?

Types of activities: Case Study Research (primary and secondary sources

Type of work: Dissertation/Thesis

Number of students: 1 or 2

Contacts

–Raffaella Cagliano (raffaella.cagliano@polimi.it)

–Filomena Canterino (filomena.canterino@polimi.it )