Amplifying the sounds and rhythms of entrepreneurial community spaces : The role of spaces in supporting entrepreneurial development

Abstract

In contemporary knowledge work, the need for entrepreneurial skills have been viewed as increasing, since automation is transforming the labour market in an unprecedented way, making demand for new ways for people to create value. Open professional spaces such as coworking spaces and makerspaces enable self-initiative, interaction and knowledge sharing, which are vital parts of creating participants’ entrepreneurial competences. These spaces have been created in corporations, universities, the third sector, online environments, and private markets during the last two decades in ever-increasing numbers. In this study, these spaces are identified as Entrepreneurial community spaces. This study describes the various key characteristics of the tacit and intangible elements, which create the dynamics of engagement in Entrepreneurial community spaces. The research review covers multiple aligning literature discussions in identifying these elements. This includes different Entrepreneurial community spaces which have been researched in recent decades, especially after the emergence of global coworking culture. The role of space in creating communities and shared understanding of proper behaviour in the space have been identified. Communities of practice where professional knowledge is created and shared socially have been studied widely and implemented in various professional and educational settings. The discussion of the open-ended business interaction and its facilitation have been added to this conversation. Based on the literature review, an analysis was made of how Entrepreneurial community spaces can support the entrepreneurial competences of their visitors and members. These actions are operationalized in eight different categories which include material and social elements. Five Entrepreneurial community spaces were investigated in this study. These Entrepreneurial community spaces are all based in the Nordics and they challenge the conventional concept of coworking space. The case organisations were mostly specialized in supporting emerging entrepreneurship within their members. Three of the Entrepreneurial community spaces do not have a paid membership, instead, the membership is created in sharing the mission of these organisations. The role of Entrepreneurial community spaces is to create a socio-material environment that supports learning and engagement through activity. Most importantly these spaces amplify shared understanding within its members. This study suggests that the elements of Entrepreneurial community spaces are only a partial factor in evaluating the role of space in entrepreneurial development. They affect the quality of key entrepreneurial situations which occur in the Entrepreneurial community space. These key situations ultimately affect participants’ entrepreneurial competencies. Hence Entrepreneurial community spaces should be primarily evaluated based on the situations they create, and their ability to combine elements − the sounds − through responsive timing − the rhythm. The effective use of the space relies heavily on how facilitators and members of the space use the opportunities to create or engage in the key entrepreneurial situations. Therefore, coworking skills such as facilitation, time management and improvisation are essential skills needed to engage in contemporary knowledge work. A great place to learn these skills are in Entrepreneurial community spaces.