How Do Makerspaces Impact Innovation Within The ICT Industry?

A makerspace is a relatively new concept that has attracted a lot of attention and discussions around innovation since around 2015.Makerspaces commit themselves to create innovative environments,and the ‘maker' movement evolves around individuals engaging in technological projects.In simple terms,a makerspace is a place where makers gather,often because they have the same interests,to understand and work on technological projects.It seems clear that this type of initiative promotes the development and innovation of new technology.However,until now,it has been unclear how exactly these makerspaces' function,what the influencing factors of a makerspace are,how members interact with each other,and how these processes affect learning and innovation outcomes.These are issues that have not yet been addressed in academia,nor has a practical explanation been given.This thesis addresses these research gaps by a two-step research approach.First,it conducts a grounded theory using Strauss and Corbin's methodology,to investigate how Chinese makerspaces impact innovation within the ICT industry.16 face-to-face interviews were conducted with members from China's first makerspace Xin Che Jian.Strauss ? Corbin's research methodology was adhered to by using their three coding phases: open coding,axial coding,and selective coding.Additionally grounded theory techniques such as constant comparison,memoing,and conditional matrices were used.The results found in the first research step resulted in the creation of the conceptual framework,laying the foundation for further empirical research in research step two.In research step two of this thesis uses a Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling(PLS-SEM)study to test the core phenomenon extracted within the grounded theory.Prior to the PLS-SEM study a pilot study with a sample size of 67 respondents was done to establish the reliability of the constructs,by engaging in an exploratory factor analysis.Once the reliability of the constructs was established,a new sample of 169 respondents was collected and a full PLS-SEM was done to evaluate the relationships of the variables.The results of this thesis are that(1)collaborative learning is found to be the key driving factor that facilitates innovation in makerspaces,as it creates accelerated rates of learning,which result in innovative outcomes.(2)Collaborative learning occurs at various complexity levels and in different types.At a beginner level,collaborative learning is used in combination with formal learning to help members learn about technologies in basic workshops.At an intermediate level,collaborative learning is used in combination with formal learning and self-learning at a higher complexity where members learn how to use certain technologies in a more sophisticated level.At an expert level,collaborative learning is used in combination with self-learning in complex projects.(3)Also,collaborative learning becomes increasingly unstructured when the complexity of learning increases.(4)Unstructured collaborative learning at the expert level results in innovation and venture creation outcomes.Lastly,(5)collaborative learning is also a key construct in coworking spaces that leads to significant positive impacts on individual work performance.The theoretical contributions of this thesis are(1)the development of the collaborative learning and its outcomes theory,which explains how makerspaces impact innovation within the ICT industry.This theory explains how collaborative learning occurs in a structured manner in makerspaces,and how this leads to positive outcomes such as innovation.(2)This thesis raises the importance of collaborative learning practices in the field of learning.Within the business management domain,the emergent theory here is the explains a structured collaborative learning process.As such,this may impact fields such as organizational learning,but may also transcend into other fields such as education.(3)This thesis is the first to place collaborative learning as an important process within innovation theory,as it can explain how an open innovation approach and knowledge sharing among individuals and teams can result in increased innovation outcomes.(4)In this context,this thesis shows a strong theoretical connection between collaborative learning and knowledge spillover theory has been made.The emergent theory describes that because there is a clear path from low-complexity learning to high-complexity learning in makerspaces,rich knowledge spillover effects are facilitated.The emergent theory can therefore offer explanation as to how high-quality knowledge spillover in collaborative environments occurs.Lastly,a follow-up study published and shown in Appendix C,further validates the contributions this thesis has made,as it was conducted based on research findings within this thesis.