Why Coworking Is Hot

The shared workspaces for entrepreneurs, freelancers and other independent workers tend to feel hip, fun, and casual -- but their success is about much more than cool design. Co-working space in Bangalore– where freelancers, entrepreneurs, and other independent workers pay a fee to share a workspace and benefit from working in the presence of one another – have turned hot. More than 160,000 people worldwide are members of over 3,000 coworking spaces, according to a recent report by DeskMag.com and Emergent Research, up from just 20,000 workers in 500 spaces in 2010.

In his recent book, The Purpose Economy, social entrepreneur Aaron Hurst writes how coworking spaces are a powerful tool for cultivating community among a new class of workers who are driven to organize their professional lives around continuous personal growth, meaningful relationships, and the service of something greater than themselves.

One of the aims of the co-workingspace in Bangalore is to provide people with a safe space where they can be at ease when working. But it also supports members to search shared interests with one another and mutual opportunities that go beyond daily work routines. We also found learning to be an obligatory component of what makes coworking a successful model. Member education is an explicit part of the mission of many co-working space in Bangalore. We saw co-working space in Bangalore supporting member networks, member education and access to professional development opportunities and mentorship. Many co-workingspace in Bangalore also host social events like networking events, happy hours and guest lecturers in order to reinforce learning and community building.

The most successful co-workingspace in Bangalore builds “just right” communities—they engage newcomers as much or as little as they want, without any pressure. Unlike a traditional shared rental office where people largely want a quiet professional space to work without being bothered by others, many coworking spaces curate an experience that allows potential members to try the space and meet other members to see if there is a fit.

But unlike a traditional work organization that does this through the hiring process, coworking has low switching costs for members and doesn’t actually commit them to any aspect of the work experience that is meaningless to them. The result is that coworking gives a non-overbearing sense of belonging to those who want to be part of the community. Coworking also helps people keep good jobs with conventional employers in cases when, for example, they are forced to move for a spouse’s job change.