Coworking Spaces: The Progressive Development of Communities
SCAILLEREZ Arnaud
Ph.D. Management
Research Assistant
Research CURA
School of Administration
TELUQ – University of Québec
5800 rue Saint-Denis, bureau 1281,
Montréal (Québec), H2S 3L5
514 843-2015 – poste 2049
TREMBLAY Diane-Gabrielle
Professor and Director of CURA on work-life articulation over the life course
TELUQ – University of Québec
5800 rue Saint-Denis, bureau 1115,
Montréal (Québec), H2S 3L5
514 843-2015 – poste 2035
ABSTRACT
Coworking spaces are growing more and more each year in Europe and North America. Initiatives are observed to facilitate this development, without increasing competition. This research will analyze two broad categories of community initiatives: networking of several areas and development within the areas of co-workers’ communities. The networking of these places is not yet widespread but is being improved, since many initiatives tend develop in the United States, Canada and France for example.
Internationally, the International Movement of coworking is taking shape, for example the League of Extraordinary Coworking Space Network (Lexc), a North American network of coworking spaces that promotes consistency and quality places and offers members special access to these as well as other services. One can also cite The Seattle Collaborative Space Alliance, which seeks to develop initiatives related to the welfare of communities, developing partnerships between different types of actors and citizen participation.
In Canada (province of Quebec), the movement of Coworking QC is developing gradually and 10 coworking spaces have come together to create this movement in 2014; its headquarters is located in Montreal. Its goal is to foster collaboration and avoid competition between these various work spaces. However this movement is still informal yet.
In France, there are also networking initiatives for coworking spaces in the regions of Brittany, Normandy and the Massif Central particulary.
Finally, some co-working spaces are created in a community spirit. This spirit can take the form of professional collaboration. Some spaces want to cluster around common or related trades or activities, or even around common values. Spaces want to create gender.
Our communication will first present these initiatives for consolidation, networking and cooperation. The objectives of these initiatives is to create communities of workers to support each other's careers as co-workers attending the same space or working in the same professional field. This can also help to maintain or create jobs.
In the context of the Gender and Work theme, we will also present some of these spaces that are reserved for women exclusively or primarily. This grouping by gender search to promote women's entrepreneurship and improve their employability.