Fitting in or feeling the tension: Matching personality traits with innovation attributes of corporate coworking spaces

Abstract

As the sharing economy continues to grow, more and more companies are developing internal corporate coworking spaces (CCWS) to foster employee collaboration and innovation. Given the crucial role of users in the success of CCWS, past research has focused largely on current users. However, since companies frequently experience employee turnover and must onboard new hires, understanding CCWS adoption requires examining potential users as well. Building on the Person–Environment fit (P–E fit) theory, we extend the Diffusion of Innovation (DoI) framework and the Big Five personality model to explore how the characteristics of CCWS and the personality traits of potential users influence their willingness to adopt these spaces. Our two-wave empirical study found that among the diffusion attributes, relative advantage, compatibility, and observability increased adoption intentions. However, unlike previous research on innovation adoption, we found that complexity did not directly impact adoption intentions. More importantly, the moderation effects revealed that the relationship between relative advantage and adoption intentions was stronger for neurotic individuals but weaker for conscientious ones. Similarly, the relationship between compatibility and adoption intentions was stronger for introverted and conscientious individuals. The relationship between observability and adoption intentions was weaker for neurotic individuals. Finally, while complexity did not directly affect adoption intentions, people with low neuroticism were less likely to adopt CCWS when they found it complex. We discuss the implications of these findings for research and practice.