Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Working Knowledge
Business Research for Business Leaders
  • Browse All Articles
  • Popular Articles
  • Cold Call Podcast
  • Managing the Future of Work Podcast
  • About Us
  • Book
  • Leadership
  • Marketing
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Entrepreneurship
  • All Topics...
  • Topics
    • COVID-19
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Finance
    • Gender
    • Globalization
    • Leadership
    • Management
    • Negotiation
    • Social Enterprise
    • Strategy
  • Sections
    • Book
    • Podcasts
    • HBS Case
    • In Practice
    • Lessons from the Classroom
    • Op-Ed
    • Research & Ideas
    • Research Event
    • Sharpening Your Skills
    • What Do You Think?
  • Browse All
    Entrepreneurs (Co-) Working in Close Proximity: Impacts on Technology Adoption and Startup Performance Outcomes
    07 Sep 2020Working Paper Summaries

    Entrepreneurs (Co-) Working in Close Proximity: Impacts on Technology Adoption and Startup Performance Outcomes

    by Maria P. Roche, Alexander Oettl, and Christian Catalini
    In one of the largest entrepreneurial co-working spaces in the United States, startups are influenced by peer startups within a distance of 20 meters. The associated advantages for learning and innovation could be lost using at-a-distance work arrangements.
    LinkedIn
    Email

    Author Abstract

    Entrepreneurs learn from a variety of sources. One particularly important channel is learning from fellow entrepreneurs. In this paper, we examine the influence of physical proximity on technology adoption decisions and subsequent startup performance outcomes at one of the largest technology co-working hubs in the United States. To deal with endogenous geographic clustering, we rely on the random assignment of office space to the hub's 251 startups. Using floor plans to measure geographic distances, we find that proximity greatly influences the likelihood of adopting an upstream technology also used by a peer firm. This effect quickly decays with distance where startups that are more than 20 meters apart no longer influence each other. Our results suggest that other social, informational, and competition-based dimensions alter the effect of distance and that peer interaction is a viable mechanism driving our results.

    Paper Information

    • Full Working Paper Text
    • Working Paper Publication Date: August 2020
    • HBS Working Paper Number: HBS Working Paper #21-024
    • Faculty Unit(s): Strategy
      Trending
        • 19 Sep 2023
        • HBS Case

        How Will the Tech Titans Behind ChatGPT, Bard, and LLaMA Make Money?

        • 05 Sep 2023
        • Research & Ideas

        Failing Well: How Your ‘Intelligent Failure’ Unlocks Your Full Potential

        • 12 Sep 2023
        • Book

        Successful, But Still Feel Empty? A Happiness Scholar and Oprah Have Advice for You

        • 14 Sep 2023
        • Research & Ideas

        Working Moms Are Mostly Thriving Again. Can We Finally Achieve Gender Parity?

        • 15 Aug 2023
        • Cold Call Podcast

        Ryan Serhant: How to Manage Your Time for Happiness

    Find Related Articles
    • Performance
    • Technology Adoption
    • Business Startups
    • COVID-19

    Sign up for our weekly newsletter

    Interested in improving your business? Learn about fresh research and ideas from Harvard Business School faculty.
    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
    ǁ
    Campus Map
    Harvard Business School Working Knowledge
    Baker Library | Bloomberg Center
    Soldiers Field
    Boston, MA 02163
    Email: Editor-in-Chief
    →Map & Directions
    →More Contact Information
    • Make a Gift
    • Site Map
    • Jobs
    • Harvard University
    • Trademarks
    • Policies
    • Accessibility
    • Digital Accessibility
    Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College