The moral foundations of makerspaces as unconventional sources of innovation: A study of narratives and performance

Abstract

Makerspaces provide individuals and communities with physical access to costly technologies and empower them to create material things in a physical space. This new form of citizen engagement has the potential to improve autonomy, creativity, and motivation. Consequently, makerspaces can help firms maintain the innovativeness of their employees. Despite the growing popularity of makerspaces, their moral foundations are still far from clear. Our study's purpose is to illuminate the moral foundations of makerspaces from a design perspective, combining previously unconnected (1) technical, (2) social, and (3) cognitive levels of makerspaces. This study reveals configurations of high and low user innovativeness and demonstrates the role of moral foundations in makerspaces. Most importantly, technical facilities can compensate for the lack of moral foundations in small and inexperienced user teams. We discuss our findings and highlight the moral foundations of makerspaces as unconventional sources of innovation.