Coworking, when done well, is a social capital supercharger.
The word “capital” refers to assets or resources that can be used to create value. So social capital is the value created through connections between people.
And beyond the increased productivity, sense of belonging, and community that great coworking spaces provide, they are also social capital hot spots, where businesses grow, leaders emerge, and humans chase their dreams.
Coworking Norms and Social Capital
When I found my first home coworking space, I was a side-gigging freelance writer. In that coworking community, my fellow members taught me about contracts, non-icky networking strategies, how to grow as a freelancer, and the power of a mutually supportive group. A fellow member took my first headshot photos, another helped me with IP stuff, and I participated in lots of member-led events and gatherings, both inside and outside of the space.
Members were all about helping each other succeed.
Because norms of generosity and collaboration were in-place when I joined the community, I quickly found ways to pour into that community. The first week I was there, I brought chocolate covered blueberries because I wanted to be part of what was happening and that seemed like a good start.
In my eight years there, people would regularly ask my advice on headlines, posts, and newsletters; I wrote articles for a members’ website; I taught my first workshops; I helped a fellow member start a podcast; I interviewed members for various publications; I hosted an annual bonfire, etc. etc. etc.
Norms are essential to creating a coworking space rich in social currency.
And you can’t assume that new people will just “get it” when they join. Whatever they see and experience in their first week or two will be established as the norms. So if they see people keeping to themselves, eating at their desk, and nodding a polite-but-distant hello in the hallway, that is the norm in your space.
If, however, new members see people interacting, engaging, learning about each other, introducing each other, and showing up for things, that becomes the norm they’ll calibrate to.
How to Increase Social Capital in Your Coworking Space
If you want to increase the social capital in your coworking space, here are 11 suggestions:
- Create community norms with your members, and post them where everyone can see them.
- Know what your members do and how you can best support them. If you don’t know what they do, your other members don’t either.
- Be intentional about making introductions in your space.
- Be patient. Relationships take time.
- Remember that community is built one connection at a time.
- Be part of the community. You can’t build community from above or outside of the circle.
- Promote a spirit of friendship in your space. Yes, we’re all building businesses and growing careers, but coworking friendships are the heart and soul of what you’re doing.
- Give people ways to participate in the community. If your current events aren’t working, try something different. Change the time. Change the format. Change the food.
- Ask people to do something. For example, they can teach a workshop, bring their famous cookies, do a show-and-tell about their hobby, host a game night, teach a juggling lunch and learn. The options are unlimited. But the best way to give someone a sense of belonging in a community is to ask them to contribute to the community.
- Model collaboration and cooperation. If you treat yourself like a receptionist who makes the coffee, that’s exactly how you’ll be treated by members and guests.
- Celebrate your common purpose and find ways to cheer each other on.
Community Doesn’t Build Itself
Social capital is one of the biggest benefits you can offer members. So don’t sit back and hope people will connect. I once had a coworking space operator tell me their community “just kind of builds itself.”
I can tell you friend, that was not happening.
So, yes, take care of all the systems and processes and todos you have to do every day. I know that running a space requires frequent task switching, a feeling of being always-on, a high emotional intelligence, and member challenges.
And, as you do those things, commit time to creating a coworking space and community that is rich in social capital. It will have a profound impact on your members and your business.
Because the potential for coworking to transform lives doesn’t lie in nice meeting rooms and hospitality touches. It lies in coworking’s inherent ability to boost social capital for members.
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