Co-working in Search of Community

Co-working in Search of Community Kristen Fong and Lingxi Gu

Co-working in Search of Community Kristen Fong and Lingxi Gu

A community is a group of individuals linked by shared experiences, whose relationships are reinforced by a common goal or value. Today, with the advancement and proliferation of mobile technology and social media, the internet has allowed the formation of countless types of communities, expanding beyond physical proximity or familial ties. This has led to a virtually unlimited network connecting people of all backgrounds who seek a sense of identity and belonging. For co-working spaces, many aspire to be something beyond a shared place for professionals of different expertise to work together—they have a desire to create a community. However, the word community has been so overused that its meaning has been lost. It is usually no more than a buzzword to attract workers with empty claims. In its early days, WeWork’s tagline was ‘a physical social network’, which hasn’t amounted to much beyond chatting with another WeWorker at the open kitchen over some citrus-infused water. They even have a separate division of community managers whose role is to provide oversight for their designated location and to help WeWork employees expand their network. However, they are not much more than the ‘face’ of each location to its members.

A false sense of community is produced in co-working offices. In order to develop a community, there needs to be a greater social need or exchange of knowledge between people. Community isn’t a commodity that can be bought or sold through a membership. Real communal bonds are the strongest when people unite in times of need from something as urgent as a catastrophic

event or to something basic like childcare or healthcare. Since co-working is based on bringing different people together, it also has the potential to connect people with a common identity or need beyond work and economic profit. It provides a physical space for a community, and this becomes the bridge for social interaction. To create this communal bond, there needs to be social capital, the benefits produced from functioning social relationships. Co-workers need to give back and contribute to their community; they need to share their values and expertise with others.

In Japan, UDS Inbound League revolves around exchanging Japanese culture with international ones. They set up a cafelike workspace on the entry level with hopes to attract travelers to get a cup of coffee, peruse through some travel brochures, and ideally decide to get a membership to work there regularly. In addition to traditional co-working spaces, Inbound League uniquely provides a short-term global residence program for up to six different nationalities. These members can share an apartment on the residence floor reminiscent of university

(Fig. 1) UDS Residence’s communal lounge and kitchen. UDS, 2018

dormitories for international students (Fig. 1). In exchange for housing, these global residents have the opportunity to be hired by the Japanese companies who have offices there. Their residents are asked not only to participate in job-matching and product development workshops for foreign nationals, but also to organize cultural events to teach locals about their home countries (Fig. 2). Here is an exchange of social values and economic expertise, which are needed to build a community. UDS has also taken the approach to directly analyze different cultural norms, by creating a catalog of how different countries greet or welcome each other. Inbound League’s focus on cultural exchange has the potential to take it beyond just a co-working space, nurturing a sense of community.

The exchange of knowledge and broadening of relationships in co-working communities creates social capital. Social capital has three key elements: social networks, trust and reciprocity, and shared norms and values. In other words, the collective value of trust between the people we know leads us to help and to support each other. In the workplace this can lead to

20 (Fig. 2) Cultural exchange: Inbound League members learn about and play the traditional game of Tosenkyo, also known as Japanese Darts. UDS, 2018

gains in efficiency, market share, and performance. While these are all positives, they are solely economically driven. It’s the non-profitable informal network rallying for a cause that creates community. This is the realm where online communities thrive. Online networking has resulted in an increased ability for individuals to find others in the world who also share aspects of their identity. Social media has allowed people with various types of needs or of any identity or interests to find, engage with, and form communities. Since co-working is the physical manifestation of this as a more open social workplace, it is the ideal platform for a community to develop. If a co-working space also facilitates a common identity, knowledge exchange, and promotes giving back, then a strong communal bond can allow its members to progress regardless of what type of work is happening.

When considering a social need in the workplace that could be addressed, there is a strong movement for gender equality. In the case of The Riveter, the founders sought to create a space run by women for women’s needs, but is open to all genders. The founders attempt to fulfill a social need that is otherwise lacking in the current work environment. Their sense of empowering the female entrepreneur is heavily reliant on their events and professional development programming. Almost every day of the week there is an event ranging from member-led yoga classes to inviting successful businesswomen or authors to give talks and lead workshops. While they are very active on Instagram, there is also The Riveter app, their own exclusive social networking tool for members intended to “build community and make connections” mainly through a plethora of events. However, when it comes to designing spaces specific to women’s needs, there is a shortcoming. The Riveter’s founders have acknowledged there is a great need for childcare services and amenities for working mothers. Their answer to this is the “Mother’s Room” for new moms to nurse their newborns, which is advertised as a unique

“Mother’s Room” at The Riveter’s West LA Location. Authors, 2018 amenity along with other more standard co-working services. This is a great idea, but the resulting spaces are disappointing. A former closet or a quickly built 4-walled cubicle placed in the corner of an open workspace with intermittent electricity are hardly suitable (Fig. 3). Children are also not allowed in the space and daycare services are not offered. The Riveter claims to be a women-oriented community, but lacks support for the working mothers they want to enable to succeed.

Quilt has another take on the female workplace by taking women out of traditional office spaces and instead hosting short-term work hours in the comfort and security of someone’s home. Its co-founders believe the privacy of home will lead to longer lasting professional connections. Gathering in someone’s home is a more casual setting, which facilitates the trust-building needed to create social capital. Since Quilt’s gatherings are hosted by

members, the company itself takes a back seat, allowing the members to take the lead. This kind of opportunity to lead in co-working is key to creating communities since it empowers its members. Quilt acknowledges how people—in this case women—actually interact. They meet online first after finding a topic which interests them, and then meet offline, at a host’s home, much like how friends would hang out. Accountability is built into this with personal goal-setting during each session and members tend to go to gatherings with women they have already met through the app. This is less about work and more about making connections. Sample of events offered by Quilt. 2019

A group of friends with similar passions and creative backgrounds is the foundation of Sugarhouse Studios, a co-working space for artists, designers, and fabricators. The original group of friends formed Assemble Studio, who call themselves a

multidisciplinary collective. They created Sugarhouse to provide a space for themselves and other collaborators to work in. This essentially expands their network of friends since collaborators work in similar fields and projects. Their Bermondsey location is designed to have a diverse range of programs ranging from a regular office space to a metal-working shop among other studio types for its respective members. They are aware of the specialized equipment and spaces required for their members (Fig. 5). The specificity of the design is important in creating a sense of community since the space they use is an extension of and supports their work and identity. Projects have also been directly engaged with the local area through events, workshops and classes open to the public. Their social capital and knowledge exchange is not limited to its members, but reaches into the neighboring community. Perhaps it is important to note that of all the co-working spaces researched, Sugarhouse does not mention community in its description while almost every other one does. Community is not something to be advertised, it is something which happens naturally through shared resources and space.

While co-working spaces are varied in their designs and members, all have a common goal of creating community. However, this hasn’t happened yet for the most part.The case studies previously discussed make various attempts to create community. The more successful were Quilt and Sugarhouse, where there is less focus on the professional side of work and more on the informal social connections made as a result of joint interests, resources, and space. In order for people to make these connections, some sort of need or common interest should be established, which could be work related or not. If it is work related, new business partnerships can be formed and professional expertise can be shared, which happens in Sugarhouse. If it is not, it should help members in another aspect of their life which supports them in a different way. Support or secondary services such as

(Fig. 4) A drawing of different workspaces provided in Sugarhouse Bermondsey. Assemble, 2016

daycare, mental and physical healthcare, catering, or cleaning and organization, should have equal value to work-related ones. The Riveter attempted but was unsuccessful in this. These support elements create the social capital which needs to exist for members to participate in non-monetary value exchange. A community works when everyone and all its components are taken care of. While some may thrive in a work hard -play hard mentality, for others, it may be more about balance. If co-working spaces can really understand their members and their needs beyond their profession, then a true community could form. Perhaps this understanding lies somewhere in how the digital social media world has affected how people now function in the physical workspace. Co-working is essentially the hybrid of these realms. It has the capability to surpass the superficiality of online communities and engender tangible and productive long term bonds of communal reciprocity. Right now co-working sells an illusory ideal of community; how do we then develop co-working into the framework which fosters community?