Creating a more sustainable world is complex, and there are many ways to approach it. In his doctoral thesis, Daniel Magnusson explores how sustainability can be integrated into so-called co-prosumption services, where customers themselves play an active role in shaping the service. Examples of these services include coworking spaces, makerspaces, and co-living environments, all of which are becoming increasingly common.
What challenges do you focus on in your research?
”Co-prosumption services involve both providers and customers, and sustainability cannot be managed by the provider alone. Because customers actively shape the service, their behaviour has a direct impact on its sustainability. The central challenge addressed in this thesis is to understand that impact and to identify how customers can be encouraged to take an active role in sustainability work.”
How do you address the problem?
”The research is set in coworking spaces, a type of shared workspace mainly used by entrepreneurs and self-employed professionals. Coworking spaces are examples of co-prosumption services, where users actively shape the service. Through several case studies and survey data, the research captures the everyday experiences of coworking members, providing insight into how sustainability is practiced in everyday work life.”
What are the main findings?
”The research shows that members play a central role in making coworking spaces more sustainable. It develops and validates the ”Sustainable Coworking Behaviour Scale”, a tool that measures how sustainable members’ behaviour is in terms of productivity, prosociality, and responsibility. The findings further show that sustainable behaviour is strongly linked to psychological ownership, as well as to the fulfilment of basic psychological needs: autonomy, relatedness, and competence. When members experience high levels of these factors, they are more likely to actively contribute to a sustainable coworking space.”
What do you hope your research will lead to?
”By conceptualising and operationalising sustainable behaviour, highlighting the key role of customers, and identifying ways to encourage it, this research helps providers design co-prosumption services that are more sustainable in practice. The findings can also inspire future academic studies on sustainability in shared and collaborative services, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable world.”
Read the thesis: The Role of Customers in the Co-creation of Sustainable Value in Co-prosumption Services: Lessons Learned from Coworking Spaces
Public defence: 27 February 2026 at 13:15
- Teaching Fellow, Innovation and R&D Management, Technology Management and Economics