Collaborative workspaces offer variety of benefits

Collaborative workspaces are catching on. According to a study by DeskMag.com and Emergent Research, more than 160,000 people worldwide were working in approximately 3,000 collaborative workspaces in 2014, up from 20,000 workers in 500 spaces in 2010.

Many believe that collaborative offices, such as those provided and supported by Business Central, appeal to young freelancers, entrepreneurs and other independent workers because they are so unique and fun to work in. However, in a November 2014 article in Money magazine, researcher and design strategist Peter Bacevice writes that this evolving concept offers much more than just cool design.

Bacevice and colleagues Gretchen Spreitzer and Lyndon Garrett surveyed workers in 40 collaborative spaces and analyzed the websites of more than 100 U.S. coworking spaces. Three interesting insights emerged from their interviews, research and observations.

1.) Coworking fosters personal growth and community building. Bacevice writes that he and his team found learning to be a necessary component of what makes coworking a successful model, noting many collaborative spaces support member education, member support networks, and access to professional development opportunities and mentorship. In addition, he writes, many spaces also host social events like happy hours, networking events, and guest lectures in order to reinforce learning and community building.

2.) The most successful coworking spaces build “just right” communities.
Unlike a traditional shared rental office where tenants want a quiet space to work without being bothered by others, many coworking spaces encourage a more interactive experience. Members are encouraged to find a “just right” fit in terms of involvement with other tenants. Newcomers can be involved as much or as little as they want in the larger office community, without any pressure.

3.) Coworking isn’t just for start-ups and freelancers. Bacevice writes that while the first coworking communities were created to provide an alternative to coffee shops or working at home to freelancers and entrepreneurs, many collaborative spaces actually feature diverse segments of the workforce. In fact, according to Bacevice, 21 percent of U.S. coworking sites explicitly market to remote workers, and one-third of survey respondents were employed full-time by a company. On average, these workers spend 65 percent of their time working from a collaborative space.