Coworking Space Meaning, Definition, and its Advantages or Benefits; Robert Putnam describes one of the darkest predictions in his work on social capital. This offers a low chance of participating in community life, a smaller group of friends, even less happiness, and a lower perceived quality of life. In addition, globalization and internet enthusiasts predict that because people don’t have to be together to work together, they don’t want to. Both statements are considered untrue if current innovative developments such as co-working spaces are taken into account. Instead of dividing people and destroying community life, they reintroduced collaboration and community building by creating innovative office designs used around the world.
Here is the article to explain, How to define the Coworking Space, Meaning, Definition, and its Advantages or Benefits.
What is the Coworking? They have been around for centuries, but the first forms of collaboration emerged in the early 20th century. Artists from all over the world gather in Paris to live and work. One such institution, La Ruche, was founded by Alfred Boucher to create living and working spaces for artists. The place becomes a community and focuses on the occupants’ work. Another form of collaboration was the “Associate Offices” that emerged in the US during the 1929 crisis. These offices brought together workers of the same or different professions working in one office to save costs. The 2008 global recession acted as a catalyst for strengthening co-working spaces around the world.
Meaning and Definition of Coworking Space.
The term “coworking” was first used in 1999 by Bernie DeKoven to describe virtual connectivity. An online collaboration tool. In the context of physical space, it was used by Brad Neuberg in 2005, although coworking space actually existed before that. The development of coworking only started before the aforementioned crisis in 2008. At present, it is very difficult to estimate the size of the movement with different coworking incarnations. For example, the Toronto Center for Social Innovation was launched in 2004 and incorporates a collective philosophy of work and the principles of a Nonprofit Center for many tenants. First, you need to understand the concept of coworking space.
According to the Oxford Dictionary as,
“Use of an office or other work environment by people who are self-employed or who work for different companies, usually to share tools, ideas, and knowledge.”
Simply put, it is a work environment where people of various professions work in full harmony, increasing their efficiency and motivating each other to improve. This has many advantages or uses. Some of them will be covered on this blog and this will also explain the concept a little bit more clearly in your head.
According to a study and survey,
“There are currently around 17,000 plus coworking spaces worldwide, so understanding the benefits of using them is essential to planning for business success and growth.”
From meeting other new people to working with them on various independent projects, a coworking space can be seen as a shared office space where people with different business ideas can come together and not only learn from each other but be inspired as well. While a coworking space offers many benefits, the following seven are essential for any small business owner or startup considering a coworking space.
Movement of Coworking.
The coworking movement has many principles that are shared among its members. Its main value is that coworking spaces are related to social connectivity, gathering, sharing, and collaboration. However, several conditions must be met for the coworking space to function. Jones, Sundsted, and Bacigalupo (2009) describe it as a co-worker recipe:
“Start with a community. Bring together like-minded people from different backgrounds. Add openness. Share ideas, thoughts, knowledge, and problems equally. Spread collaboration from above. Ingredients are blended to create new flavors. Add healthy resilience. This will help maintain the structure of the recipe and keep it from falling apart. Pack it if it is not accessible. Make sure all the ingredients get the right interactions. Enjoy! “
Movements built on these principles are also directed against the isolation that results from the nature of coworkers’ work. This is usually some form of knowledge generation, data transformation, or industry-related creative work. Sometimes movement members reveal an unacceptable company culture and work structure (typical 9-5 jobs in artificially separated booths). Coworking as a movement has direct or perceived social change as a value.
First, it changes work-life relationships and leads to sustainability in many ways. Second, co-workers often work on projects related to innovation and social change. Coworking spaces about social change refer to as central networks. One of the innovative factors in coworking is the sociality of work and the value of personal relationships. This aspect is important for the peer-to-peer movement as its enthusiasts aim to create a thriving community, not just a workplace.
Activities of Coworking.
As noted above, coworking includes people who mostly have knowledge-based jobs, as well as designers or artists. In most cases, they do not employ by the same organization; but sometimes small businesses are part of the co-working space. Apart from that, there is a lot of independent work, but there are also factors in collaboration. People of all occupations and occupations engage in dialogue, exchange ideas, and add interesting perspectives to problems identified by others to develop innovative ideas and be more productive.
Coworking spaces provide an unlimited repository of intellectual resources and multiply networks of professional and informal relationships; which have a positive effect on individual work life and mental health. Different people have different patterns of using coworking spaces. As a freelancer, sometimes all you need is a desk with an internet connection and a telephone. Artists may need more space and flexibility.
Some may use the space for full-time or part-time collaboration, others for one-time sign-in sessions only. These offices also intend for persons (the so-called nomadic workers) who travel and change places of residence frequently and therefore cannot maintain an office. The initiative also has a myriad of professions and includes professionals from a wide variety of industries. In addition, they come from different organizational structures: start-ups that haven’t been able to have an office, small companies that have decided not to have their own offices, non-profit organizations, freelancers, sometimes people who work for large companies, such as consultants, etc.
Coworking space.
General work environment arrangements are very important for the smooth functioning of office colleagues. In general, it must be flexible and have an open design so that it can accommodate various events and activities by moving furniture and partitions that function as walls. In addition, colleagues must have access to it at all times, which is sometimes not possible for security reasons.
Co-working spaces typically offer the following facilities: Internet, photocopying and printing, fax machine, mailbox, kitchen facilities, meeting rooms, coffee/tea maker, warehouse, and sometimes audiovisual equipment. Locations at different stages of development may not have all of the listed facilities or more modern office equipment. A coworking space can accommodate members by offering a private space or sometimes a separate office, depending on room characteristics.
Different usage patterns mean different financial contributions to office maintenance. Coworking spaces have a tiered system that depends on the time spent in the office and sometimes the area required to operate. Co-working spaces are usually unprofitable and can sometimes only function with the help of grants and subsidies.
Benefits or Advantages of Coworking Space.
Benefits of Coworking As Described Not long ago there was coworking. It is interesting to note that coworking has multiplied many times in just a few years and continues to grow exponentially. It’s not wrong to say that it all started with We Work and we currently have many companies like We Work helping entrepreneurs find stylish offices at affordable prices.
Get new contacts.
Co-working spaces encourage the creation of new networks and collaborate with them when needed and whenever you can. When you work with people of various professions, eg. For example, with a recruiting agency in Pune or a web design company; you can easily reach out to them for help if needed; which will make your job a lot easier. For example, suppose you work for your website and you need some to write content for your homepage; but, the person who usually writes your content is in the hospital. If so, you can work with a freelancer at your office and pay accordingly. You can also take the number and use it at a later time or as needed. This way, you will not only work with new talents but also make new contacts.
A virtual office can help you increase your productivity.
When you work in an environment where the people around you are passionate about their work and not distract. You also motivate to work and get things done. When working from home, distractions are plentiful and easily distract. But here you are working with people who motivate to quit their jobs so that there are no distractions. There is a saying that what you see is you. So if you find that the people around you are having problems, then you need to hurry up, which will increase your productivity.
Flexibility at work.
The work environment is very flexible and there are no strict rules to follow. Each member can book the table they want and work at their own discretion without having to contact anyone. It’s easy to expand your office as your team grows with changing plans. This can be done easily and without clutter.
Perspectives for better networking.
A coworking space is much better than renting a private office because it gives you networking opportunities. Meeting new people from different backgrounds is always a great way to develop and gain more knowledge. When many goal-oriented and intelligent people share the same work area, there are opportunities to meet great thinkers, established business people, and entrepreneurs.
Increase your creativity cell.
It often says that changing the environment will help you refresh your mind and this will increase your creativity. When you are in an office in the same environment, where people from different professions work together, you get new perspectives on a lot of things. It will also help you improve your work.
For example, you are the CEO of Marketing and you need to develop a new campaign to bring new products to market. But you don’t know how to do it. In this case, you can discuss this with the employees in your shared office and take their perspectives on the campaign. You can brainstorm with your co-workers and then create a new campaign. This not only enhances your creativity but also the creativity of your co-workers.
General office space is available.
Coworking space is very profitable. This is economical for small commercial buildings and start-ups that have just opened their commercial buildings and can’t afford an office. In a collaborative environment, all you have to do is pay for where you are and pay by the hour. It also offers tremendous flexibility because you only pay for the space you use.
The co-working space also offers basic amenities: a microwave and coffee maker as well as access to a kitchen. It’s the perfect work environment for small businesses and new startups who have the freedom to work as much as they want, but for an incredibly low price. Look for a coworking space near me and find the right price for your company.
Bringing structure to your work life through coworking.
When you work from home, there’s a lot of flexibility but no structure. However, if you work in a shared office space, you not only get flexibility but also bring a lot of structure to your work. There is a good balance between personal and professional life because you can leave your job when you get home and start over the next day.
Work-life balance is very important because work can sometimes be very stressful and sometimes you have to leave work for tomorrow. When you work from home there is always something interfering with the time you have to spend with your family. Working in a coworking space brings a lot of structure to your work life and helps you increase productivity.
Fewer office costs.
With coworking spaces, young entrepreneurs and start-ups can work in fully equipped offices without having to worry about having to set up their own private offices. Building an office can be a tedious task that requires a lot of money. One of the main advantages of coworking is that it is the best way to work in an office with minimal investment. When you work in a coworking space, you can manage your business without the expense of setting up an office. Members can use office space with the flexibility to set membership prices based on their preferences. A coworker’s (virtual) office also provides you with a business address, which is essential for sending and receiving e-mails.
Drive business growth.
In a shared office space, you can grow your business faster through coworking, among others. Better connectivity and networking with the people around you will give you more ideas and jobs, and allow you to grow your business. The people you share the office with may become your customers or give you a recommendation.
