Community workspace is an exciting new concept that allows people to work together from their homes or coworking space. Find out more about these innovative spaces!

Community Workspaces: The Future of Collaboration and Productivity

Community Workspace is a new concept in which people can work from home or a coworking space, while still being part of a larger group. This type of space has been growing rapidly over the past few years, and there are now many different types of community workspace available. You have communities that gather around a common interest or profession, but you also find local formations and international coworking brands that build up their individual character. When building or transforming a business to a community workspace, try to follow broadly these six steps:

How to Build a Successful Community Workspace

There are several things to consider when choosing a community workspace. First, think about what kind of environment you need to succeed at work. Do you need a  quiet, distraction-free space? Or do you prefer a noisy, social atmosphere? Also, consider how much privacy you need. If you’re looking for a place where you can focus on your work, you might not want to share a room with other members of the community. Finally, think about whether you need a dedicated office or just a desk. You might also want to consider the size of the community workspace. Is it big enough to accommodate everyone who wants to join? Generally, the best community workspaces foster creativity and collaboration and should be the desired destination, not a boring chore. That’s why many companies have begun to offer hybrid schedules and flexible workspaces. Steelcase Global Report 2022 discovered as top alignments: 

  • 87% of people expect to work in an office at least some of the time
  • 64% want hybrid collaboration spaces
  • 61% also want privacy
  • 57% want reservable workspaces, not just the promise of a desk in a building
  • 52% want flexible furniture arrangements

Choose The Right Location

Next, you need to find a location that will allow you to focus on your work and is convenient for people. Have you found a satisfactory parking option? Otherwise, you may want to reconsider the location. Business people who travel a lot will appreciate fast and cheap access. Make sure that your community workspace is easily accessible by road and public transport and has enough space for vehicles so that several customers can reach you.

Also it’s important to choose a space that has enough light, so you can see clearly while you work. Also, make sure there is plenty of natural light. This will help you feel energized throughout the day. (s. picture: Cowirken)

community workspace cowirken

Designate Areas for Different Activities

Did you ever hear of the concept of serendipity? It is about creating opportunities for people to meet in space so it looks like a coincidence, an effective strategy to let people meet naturally e.g. through an open kitchen, water spender etc.
In essence, you should also designate areas within your community workspace for different activities. For instance, one area might be used for writing, another for reading, and yet another for socializing with friends.
If you want to encourage people to use your space for productive purposes, then you should create designated areas where people can work. Having separate spaces for different activities helps people focus on what they are doing at any given moment.
When you designate certain areas for specific activities, you help people stay focused on the task at hand. You can also keep track of who is using which area, which allows you to know if there are any issues with the space.

Reimagine the Office

If you plan to use your community workspace as a place where people can meet up and collaborate, make sure there is free Wi-Fi access available. This will allow them to connect to the Internet and share files easily. In addition to this important setup, did you ever thought about security and how to encrypt your network? Since Community workspaces became more and more popular for companies and individuals who work with sensible data, this is a legit question to ask that most of the community workspace providers do not think about in the first place. Pappus partners are specified in solving these complex infrastructures.

Provide Tools And Equipment

You should also provide tools and equipment so that members can do their jobs effectively. For instance, if you are planning to host meetings in your community workspace, ensure that there are enough chairs and tables. Also, consider providing a projector screen or whiteboard so that participants can see each other clearly. Other amenities like a cafeteria, and stores nearby would be icing on the cake – consider sponsorships or business collaborations if you have sufficient space. Furthermore, there are other trends to ‘reimagine office’: Creating a virtual office that seamlessly merges people, places, and technology. And sometimes concepts around ‘less is more’ let people work close to nature. 

Encouraging Community Consulting for Your Workspace

By definition, coworking spaces involve the community. They have shared working environments where knowledge workers independently gather to do work, which can lead to organic collaboration and communication.  

Community workspaces’ primary selling point is that they are communities of knowledge workers with the opportunity to collaborate–an important aspect every workspace provider should foster to remind clients daily about their needs and benefits of coming to a shared workplace. Although there is an existing duality of “Gesellschaft” (“impersonal communities,” oriented around sharing resources and working next to others) and “collaboration” (oriented around intense collaboration and community-building efforts) community workplace builders should always put people first and strive for the highest level of mutual support.

If you need help, posting in the forums is the best way to get immediate help from the Community Builder community. Long term mentoring or a detailled community strategy you’ll get  provided by Pappus Community Consultants.