ABSTRACT
Coworking spaces and open innovation are two trends that emerged in the early 2000s and have gained considerable attention. Although there exists a vast amount of research on either of these topics, the connection between them has not been much explored. The aim of this research study was to assess the state-of-practice open innovation that occurred in coworking spaces and to propose a model that captures this phenomenon. Empirical data were collected by interviews with digital entrepreneurs and managers operating Norwegian coworking spaces. We found that coworking spaces express a large potential to foster open innovation among early stage startups, Also, open innovation was found to already occur in coworking spaces. Among the four coworking spaces dimensions identified, events were regarded as the most important ones, since they act as enablers for cooperation dynamics.
