Coworking Spaces: Windows to the Future of Work? Changes in the Organizational Model of Work and the Attitudes of the Younger Generation

Abstract

This paper analyzes how the organization of work has changed since the 1990s including the emergence of digital forms of employment. Following the evolution of work over the course of the 20th century and the start of the 21st, this paper is divided into three sections: the adoption of industrialization, automation and digitalization, and, finally, the virtual economy. Each of these periods correspond with a certain model of production: Fordism, Taylorism, and Uberism (or Waymoism, named for Google’s Waymo project), which lie at the basis of the organization of work (process management, project management, and joint or cooperative activity) and present different sets of skill requirements. During the discussion of the evolution of work organization, including its geographical and temporal aspects, how attitudes of the individuals towards work have changed over time is discussed. Finally, the concept of coworking is analyzed as it forms the cultural foundation for virtual work. Due to the continuing nature of this research, this article presents only the initial results. This paper aims to determine how coworking spaces impact the socioeconomic development of emerging and developed regions. Fourteen in-depth interviews with managers of coworking spaces in a variety of regions serves as the empirical basis of this research over the course of periods of one and two months.