The power of weak ties in a coworking space

Of all the lessons the Covid era taught me, one of the most important is that weak social ties are vitally important.

While things were locked down, I missed bantering with baristas, saying hello to an acquaintance as we passed on the sidewalk, popping into the bookstore to browse with fellow book lovers, chatting with my friend at the neighborhood taqueria.

I didn’t realize how much a part of my life those little micro-touches are.

But they are. And there’s actually some science around it.

In 1973, sociologist Mark Granovetter published a paper titled “The Strength of Weak Ties.” In it, he shared his findings from a study of how 282 people got their jobs. The paper stressed the importance of social networks in a person’s professional and personal life.

“Your weak ties connect you to networks that are outside of your own circle,” Granovetter explained. “They give you information and ideas that you otherwise would not have gotten.”

So let’s look at coworking through this lens of weak ties.

When we talk about building community in a coworking space, sometimes I worry people get the wrong idea. They think that community is too woo-woo, that it’s not part of building a business, that it’s unserious. Or they think that to do community well, you have to have four-hour long meetings and consensus on everything.

I have not found this to be true.

In fact, quite the opposite.

Coworking spaces and communities thrive on loose ties. Sure, we members develop stronger bonds and friendships with some people, but the power and potential of a great coworking community is that, as Granovetter pointed out, these loose ties help us extend out of our own circle and expand our ideas, possibilities and reach.

Which is a huge benefit of coworking.

So if you’re working on building and strengthening your community, don’t succumb to the false notion that everyone has to be great friends. There is magic in those loose ties that are easy to come by in a coworking space.

Make introductions, connect people who may have shared interests (inside and outside of the space), find ways to bring members together, have frequent conversations so you know what people are up to.

This is where community begins.