Personality Traits and Corporate Coworking Model Adoption by End Users: An Empirical Test of the Diffusion of Innovation Theory

Abstract

The sharing economy is a new and innovative topic that has attracted researchers to explore this new business model in recent years, driven by peer-to-peer sharing platforms and enabled by technology. Most of the established studies have focused on the platforms themselves or on the performance of platform businesses, not from an end-user adoption perspective driven by demand-side approaches that are essential for business model innovation and value creation. Moreover, most of the established studies have focused on high-growth peer-to-peer sharing platforms, such as Airbnb and Uber, with little focus on the coworking model that is innovating and disrupting the commercial real estate industry.

In this research, we explored one specific type of coworking model: the corporate coworking model (CCM). Coworking remains a novel topic among researchers and is a fast-growing trend that has been ignored by management researchers. CCM is an internal firm practice for providing open and flexible workspaces for employees in order to increase employee satisfaction, creativity, productivity, and internal entrepreneurship. We focused on the end user’s perspective and conducted empirical quantitative research. First, we investigated whether the diffusion of innovation theory (DIT) constructs of relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, and observability have a statistically significant effect on CCM adoption intention from the perspective of end users. We then added the Big Five personality traits as moderators and investigated whether their constructs of extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience had statistically significant moderating effects on the DIT’s impact on CCM adoption intention by end users. Finally, we investigated whether these personality traits had a direct impact on CCM adoption intentions. Our research efforts provide both academic contributions and business application values.

Date of Award	29 May 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	City University of Hong Kong
Supervisor	Muammer OZER (Supervisor)