5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Designing a Collaborative Working Space

Building a collaborative workspace is probably one of the most popular workplace design trends of the 21st century. Where before, the focus was all on individualism and individual achievements; it has recently been proven that teams work better when they work in closer conjunction rather than separately. Because of this, collaborative workspaces have become incredibly popular.

But are they always successful? No! It is important to do your research and make the right design decisions in order to make these spaces productive and rewarding for your business. Here are the five most common mistakes made by people trying to design a collaborative workspace; and how to avoid them.

 

1. Not Creating the Right Mix of Workspaces in the Collaborative Space

At the end of the day, the whole point of a collaborative workspace is to create an environment where people feel comfortable and invited to work with and alongside each other in a productive and healthy manner. However, this does not mean one long bench and one big table with everyone always in each other’s space is the right way to go.

"We’ve been working from home for more than one year now so when the time came, I was very excited to get out of the house and work alongside other people. It was very important for me to find a place where I can have my own space but at the same time be around other people. I don’t wish to share a desk but I also don’t want to be secluded. If I feel like I’m working from home then I know it’s not the right place for me". Jose Fermoso, Resume-Now Content Strategist

Trust me, it’s not! If people get crowded and frustrated with each other and their workspace, there will be less collaborative ability than if there was a standard office space in place. Similarly, if the space is not changed enough to be more collaborative, you will not see any change in collaboration because the space won’t have changed enough.

Greendesk understands that its members need a mix of what they like in their workspace. By allowing natural lighting, colors, and a casual atmosphere, in conjunction with computers and laptops, the company allows members to stay comfortable in their work.

 

2. Thinking Solely about Desk Space

If your collaborative space is built entirely around the desk space that you are creating, chances are, you are missing out almost 70% of the working day.

Kendall Josh, a marketing blogger at State of writing and Revieweal, commented, “Although desk space is important, and there is work that gets done on people’s individual desks; there is a lot more to an office or workspace than people’s desks. Think about the meeting rooms, the food and water areas, the social spaces, training rooms.”

Impact Hub thinks outside of the box when it comes to the workspace. Rather than think about desk space, the company sees the power of collaboration. In fact, the hub allows its members to work in groups so that collaborative efforts can commence.

 

3. Choosing Aesthetics over Ergonomics

Just because something looks nice, does not mean it is going to be the most collaborative workspace. You need to do a little bit more research than just matching a coworking space to your favorite Pinterest board. Although having a space that looks aesthetically pleasing is a great perk, it is not. It is important to do research into the ergonomics of a productive shared workspace rather than just designing things that look good.

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4. Not Being Member Oriented

Think about what your members will like, and what they don’t like. If you don’t have a clue as to what they like and don’t like, then now is the time to find out. It is important to think about your residents when designing a collaborative workspace because at the end of the day, they will be the people working in it every day.

Richard Randall, a business writer at Elite assignment help and OX Essays, noted, “Sometimes it is a good idea to get your employees to fill out an anonymous survey to gather some information about how best to put changes in the office into place.”

Flexible workspaces like Techspace are dedicated to offering great places for members. By having residents in mind, Techspace allows tenant companies and individual clients to customize their workspaces, and have their employees reap the benefits of working in a space that screams both innovation and culture. In addition, the brand allows the workforce to sound off on what they want and don’t want in their workspaces.

 

5. Not Hiring the Designing Professionals

Don’t think that you can design a collaborative space all on your own. Unless you have a design degree and years of collaborative space designing under your belt, put down your tape measure and call someone to help you.

Although as the brains behind the operation, you most certainly have a say; it is important to have someone who has experience in designing collaborative workspaces to help you out. They might see an idea you have had and tweak it slightly to make the space more cohesive, for example. Overall, it is always good to have a professional there to help out with the fine-tuning.

 

Wrapping Up

As you can see, with these 5 common mistakes, it can be easy to overlook certain things when providing your members with collaborative working space. However, as you learn from these mistakes (and avoid them), you and your coworking center will create the best place to work in, and your residents will thank you for it!

The article was written by Christina Lee. Christina is a social media strategist at Dissertation writing and Big Assignments. She writes about marketing news and technologies for such services, as Study demic, and others.