Coworking Spaces In Rural Areas: Revealing And Catalysing Hybrid Work

The aim of this research is to examine the specific context of the hybridisation of work in rural areas through the study of various coworking spaces (ECWs). In rural areas, the 're-spatialisation of work' is taking place with particular tensions linked to the greater constraints of remote management, the feeling of isolation and the lack of resources. The aim is to assess the extent to which ECWs in rural areas can reduce tensions or take advantage of the hybridisation of users' work. Using a qualitative approach, the research looks at the career paths, motivations and interactions of users of six ECWs in Brittany and New Aquitaine. The thematic analysis is based on 28 semi-structured interviews. The results highlight the tensions inherent in hybrid working, the emergence of a sense of belonging to the ECW community and the role of these spaces as catalysts for economic and social relations with the surrounding area. The originality of the research is twofold. It highlights the different dimensions of the hybridisation of work (identity, organisation, territory) in a specific context, the rural environment, and through the observation of a hybrid space, the coworking space. For economic and local players, it looks at the issues involved in the spread of this type of structure and the conditions governing its development.