Garrett, Spreitzer and Bacevice investigated the development of community at coworking sites. They collected information via a qualitative study at an unnamed coworking space in a suburban Midwestern town. As the researchers explain, they identified two factors that contributed to the development of a sense of community (SOC) at their research site “1) social…motivation for community, and 2) autonomous structure and practices allowing members to…align their community involvement with their desire for community…The autonomous and flexible structure at [the coworking group] allowed the level and quality of community engagement to reflect members’ desires…At [the coworking group], the loose structure allows members to associate with the people they enjoy, when they want their company…it was also important that members felt free to express their authentic selves…Employee efforts to be authentic are often disrupted by political dynamics that employees must navigate, potentially leading them to portray what is deemed to be valued or expected.”
Lyndon Garrett, Gretchen Spreitzer, and Peter Bacevice. 2017. “Co-Constructing a Sense of Community at Work: The Emergence of Community in Coworking Spaces.” Organization Studies, vol. 38, no. 6, pp. 821-842.
Sally Augustin, PhD, a cognitive scientist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designers’ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwithscience.com) and can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.