+1 to what has already been said and I'd also like to add that sometimes I orchestrate situations that REQUIRE people to socialize. This is a little different from "collaboration" but I think you have to know each other fairly well before you can collaborate effectively. I've been married to a hard core introvert for long enough to know that small talk and meeting new people can be a serious drain on him.
Example, at our recent Waffle Day (I made waffles, they brought the toppings) I put the food in the main work room where everyone sits and works and I put the napkins and silverware in the conference room. They realized right away what I had done and said, "seriously?! we have to *talk* to each other, we can't just go back to our computers and work while we eat?!" They were half joking/half serious but guess what? They all sat together in the conference room, enjoyed a meal and got to know each other a little better. Afterward, the introverts got 2 solid hours of quiet time to recharge their batteries! (yes, at times I feel like a mother to the members but I kinda like it and I think they do too!) I'll also occasionally ask everyone to eat family style at the same time/table during night coworking so we'll "all do better in school and be more successful"--think after school special style. It's all a bit tongue in cheek but no one has ever regretted the times when I politely persuaded them to interact. -A On Nov 9, 2:10 am, wilsond <wilson.denni...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hello, > > I am new to this discussion group and would like to kick off my first > contribution with a question that i would be very interested in > hearing your answers on. > We re currently in the process of putting together a coworking space > in Dublin, Irl which we are pretty excited by. I have read a large > amount of detail about coworking and the philosophy of it. But on a > practical level, how would the owners/managers of a coworking space be > best placed to ensure that their space would be one of collaboration. > What practical steps can someone take to foster this environment and > hopefully create the reputation/output that every coworking space > wants. > > Thanks, > > wilson -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
