COWORKING AS A NEW INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT RUSSIAN INNOVATIVE BUSINESS

• Main Authors: Makarov Vasilii, Skvortsova Inga, Torkkeli Marko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University 2019-12-01
• Series: Научно-технические ведомости СПбГПУ: Экономические науки
• Subjects: innovative infrastructure; office space; freedom of entrepreneurship; coworking; synergistic effect; start-up
• Online Access: https://economy.spbstu.ru/article/2019..10/

A relatively new concept for the Russian market is considered - coworking. The history of the appearance and dynamics of the development of the main elements of the innovation infrastructure is briefly touched. The issues of the formation of the global industry of coworking and their popularization are touched upon. The deep essence of the concept of coworking, its advantages in comparison with other elements are revealed. The actualization of this development concept in the modern world is justified. In this article, сoworking is presented as one of the components of the formation of an effective innovative infrastructure, its place is defined. A modern business model of coworking is developed for the conditions of Russian reality, for which various behavioral models of its residents are analyzed in detail. The conditions for the effective functioning of such models are formulated. The discrepancies in the terminology of the concept of “coworking” are analyzed. The analysis of the applicable terms in Russian and English is carried out. It is proved that both in the creation and in the description of the elements of innovative infrastructure, the marketing approach prevails, which puts in the first place the requirement of attractiveness of the object for potential customers and investors. And only coworking satisfy the requirements of a wide and convenient horizontal interaction of residents - free entrepreneurs working in the field of innovative business. In this plane of research, coworking is presented as a phenomenon that reflects a certain stage in the development of the infrastructure for supporting a small, usually innovative, business. A good adaptation of the coworking model in Russia and the public interest in it are shown. Consider the different behavioral patterns of coworking residents that are directly experienced by users. The problems of adaptation of small and medium-sized businesses to the lack of office infrastructure in connection with the development of business mobility are described, when the use of infrastructure turns from a permanent function over a long period of time into a function that can be considered discrete. The conditions are described under which authorities should be interested in organizing PR promotion of coworking in the regions in order to attract new entrepreneurs and customers for residents of coworking. The possibility of using coworking as a platform for posting relevant information on the state order and holding events aimed at attracting residents to carry out projects in the interests of government bodies and state organizations is shown. The effectiveness of the use of coworking as an infrastructure element to support innovative business has been proved.