Value configurations in sharing economy business models

Ambidextrous structures paving the way for disruptive business models: a conceptual framework

Today companies are facing challenges to survive due to substantial transformations induced by digital technologies, ever-changing consumer demands, and environmental uncertainties. Thus, companies need to be innovative to sustain competitive advantages. Scholars and practitioners have recognized the potential of disruptive innovations as a key factor for a company’s competitiveness. Yet, such innovations often challenge established companies due to the tensions between their traditional business model and the newly emerging business model required for disruptive change. The theory of ambidextrous organizations has offered a variety of solutions to tackle these barriers referring to the alignment of exploration and exploitation within an organization’s structure. Current literature, however, faces inconsistencies regarding how this can be achieved. With this study, we therefore aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of how ambidextrous structures enable incumbent companies to reduce the barriers to disruptive business models. On the basis of a systematic literature review, we analyze and compare potential structures and their characteristics proposed in the ambidexterity literature. Drawing on our review, we conceptualize a framework linking the different organizational structures to the barriers associated with disruptive business models. Our framework identifies a range of seven structures which can resolve the barriers and thus support managers in their structural decisions on how to align exploration and exploitation to pave the way for disruptive business models.

The key to happiness in collaborative workplaces. Evidence from coworking spaces

This quantitative study explores the significant psychological and behavioral dynamics in coworking spaces. We collected data from a sample of 175 people working in Italian coworking spaces and found that a more cooperative organizational climate increases coworking space users’ happiness. We also found that this relationship is positively moderated by several job crafting behaviors. More specifically, when workers are proactive in the work environment, they are more likely to benefit from the potential advantages (resources, challenges, networking opportunities, etc.) that cooperation-oriented work settings provide, which, in turn, amplifies the positive effect of cooperative work settings on individual happiness. These findings make a useful contribution to both the growing literature on coworking spaces and the more general job crafting literature. Indeed, the previous research on both behavioral dynamics that are specific to coworking spaces and on the role played by job crafting in influencing workers’ happiness remains limited. The study’s managerial implications concern the relevance of establishing a cooperative climate and encouraging workers’ proactivity to promote their happiness.