I am going to use a few images from the Centre for Social Innovation‘s ebook “Emergence.” The license appears to allow for copying and remixing of the content as long as the generated content is attributed and shared-alike. I believe I am in compliance in this post. Please tell me if I have misunderstood and I will take them down.
There are several movements coming together to make a new kind of business environment around the world. Some of these are new others are simply gaining attention.
Co-location, Coworking, Community Hubs and Incubators
Co-location
Co-location is not new. Look any large building in most any city and you will see it. Businesses and non-profits lease out parts of a building that neither of the member companies could afford. The result is a better location and an office each organization can be proud of.
While not a new idea, with the economy as it is this continues to be a viable option. With the continued importance of co-locating some businesses and non-profits are specifically choosing to move into buildings to increase interaction between organizations and not just to save money.
Coworking
As fairly young movement there has been a lot of media attention lately. Coworking serves a similar role as co-location but for individuals rather than businesses.
As the market becomes more and more performance oriented (and temp oriented) more people find they can work from where ever they like. While working from home or a coffee shop is exhilarating for a while, in time the lack of a community begins to ware on many.
By creating a place to congregate and form a community this concern is mitigated (at least the option is there for the worker to take advantage of or not) and ideas can spread and evolve within the community.
Community Hubs
We have seen these spaces in the past as well. Rec Centers, Community Centers, the YMCA or similar groups in many areas provide this kind of service. They are the place to go if you need some sort of support, certain type of products or to pick up your kids from the after school program.
These spaces become catalyst for community involvement and advancement, the heart beat of that particular neighborhood.
Incubators
Incubators are not all that new either. We have an excellent one in town even (VT KnowledgeWorks). These businesses provide coaching services, assistance with finding investors/ funding, and other administrative needs. The goal is that through this support the small business can grow much quicker than it could alone. I know that is overly simplistic but at the heart that is the plan.
The Future
So all of this is great Allen, you have used cute pictures from someone else’s book and given a pretty simplistic over view of several terms I could just Wiki. What is the point?
All of these types of spaces have a role to play in the future of our economy, and while many were created out of a strict financial motive we are finding that the benefits are significantly larger than simply the bottom line.
Whether a few organizations move into a building together, or a group of independent workers join a coworking space there is a potential for community. A community that will be what ever you put into it.
It can be a friendly greeting as you pass each other in the hall or a group of people you turn to to make your vision a reality.
What interests me about the Centre for Social Innovation is that they are combining just about all of these different spaces into their community. They have incubation services, offices for small non-profits/ socially focuses businesses, permanent and hot desks for people to engage in coworking, and many programs offered by members that engage the community.
I do not see Blacksburg Coworking offering incubator type services, there are already people extremely skilled and doing great work in our community, if that is what you need you should go to them. But the rest are definitely up for grabs.
I see potential all over the New River Valley for partnership with existing businesses, non-profits, and independent workers. There is room, and from my point of view a need, for a sub-community within our geographic community to create that space for collaboration and to serve the community around us.
What do you think? Please comment below!
