Publications
Publications
- December 2024
- Management Science
Proximate (Co-)Working: Knowledge Spillovers and Social Interactions
By: Maria P. Roche, Alexander Oettl and Christian Catalini
Abstract
We examine the influence of physical proximity on between-start-up knowledge spillovers at one of the largest technology coworking hubs in the United States. Relying on the exogenous assignment of office space to the hub’s 251 start-ups, we find that proximity positively influences knowledge spillovers as proxied by the likelihood of adopting an upstream web technology already used by a peer start-up. This effect is largest for start-ups within close proximity of each other and quickly decays; start-ups more than 20 meters apart on the same floor are indistinguishable from start-ups on different floors. The main driver of the effect appears to be social interactions. Although start-ups in close proximity are most likely to participate in social coworking space events together, knowledge spillovers are greatest between start-ups that socialize but are dissimilar. Ultimately, start-ups that are embedded in environments that have neither too much nor too little diversity perform better but only if they socialize.
Keywords
Knowledge Integration; Coworking; Microgeography; Business Startups; Technology Adoption; Diversity; Interpersonal Communication; Knowledge Sharing; Geographic Location
Citation
Roche, Maria P., Alexander Oettl, and Christian Catalini. "Proximate (Co-)Working: Knowledge Spillovers and Social Interactions." Management Science 70, no. 12 (December 2024): 8245–8264.