ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a disruptive event in many industries while providing innovation opportunities as well. The transition to remote working in the educational context, on one side, has found universities unprepared, and on the other side has tested their creativity. The aim of this study is to explore emerging innovations and new dynamic capabilities aroused at universities during the pandemic and the quasi- Covid-19 period. In this study, the term "vicariant innovation” is used to express the way innovations themselves have been subject to frequent changes while stimulating more dynamic capabilities for institutions' management, professors, and students. The methodology used in this study is a qualitative one by conducting semi-structured in-depth interviews. The sample consists of 12 students per university, respectively: EPOKA University in Albania and the University of Salerno in Italy. Findings show that the Covid-19 vicariant innovation changed students' habits of studying and although the universities are from 2 different countries the students' thoughts towards this phenomenon are almost the same. Furthermore, vicariant innovations are seen as the future of the education system. The originality of this work consists of the methodology used to explain the vicariance of innovation under the umbrella of educational context during the quasi- Covid-19 period. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This study aims to explore how interorganizational coworking spaces (CWS) affect complexity, resilience, open innovation and knowledge cocreation. Design/methodology/approach: This is a qualitative study using the exploratory design. Data are gathered through semistructured interviews and naturalistic observation in six different CWS. Findings: In line with previous studies, the findings show that being in a CWS with professionals of various backgrounds and contained levels of diversity make people prone to communication and knowledge sharing. Differently from previous research about knowledge creation in CWS, this study discovered that knowledge cocreation was only averagely affected. Complexity and resilience were the most influenced dimensions with scores higher than average, followed by open innovation and knowledge cocreation. Research limitations/implications: Main limitations are related to the qualitative method itself which may not reach the data saturation and with the nonsynergistic analysis of all dimensions together. A further limitation arose because of the COVID-19 pandemic which contributed to downsizing the number of participants while restricting the options of the involved research instruments. The implications for research are related to a need for further studies using large-scale surveys to strengthen the reliability of research. Additionally, more research is needed to explore the multiple dimensions of open innovation, complexity and resilience in CWS. Practical implications: For CWS providers, it is recommended to create thematic/clustered areas of collaboration based on specific professions. For early-stage businesses, freelancers and micro/entrepreneurial firms that do not wish to lease their own office, CWS provide an opportunity for value cocreation and open innovation. Social implications: CWS, either physical or virtual, can be used as a retreat approach and a socialization platform, especially for those in need to recover from post-traumatic stress due to the imposed isolation caused by COVID-19 pandemic. Originality/value: Given the unexplored phenomena of complexity and resilience in CWS, the major contribution of this research is related to the impact of interorganizational coworking upon complexity and resilience. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.