{"id":54936,"date":"2019-07-11T12:00:55","date_gmt":"2019-07-11T16:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/?p=54936"},"modified":"2020-09-03T05:53:00","modified_gmt":"2020-09-03T09:53:00","slug":"my-office-is-at-wework-but-my-spirit-is-with-my-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/research-insights\/research-studies\/my-office-is-at-wework-but-my-spirit-is-with-my-company","title":{"rendered":"‘My office is at WeWork but my spirit is with my company’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019re reading this from the comfort of a coworking space, you can probably tick off the benefits<\/a> of working where you do. Studies have shown that compared to traditional offices, people who work in coworking spaces<\/a> report greater levels of flexibility<\/a> and thriving<\/a> (defined as vitality and learning at work), a greater ability to network, and a stronger sense of community<\/a>\u2014especially when they work at enterprise companies.

Those personal benefits are incredible\u2014but what are the benefits to your company? Peter Bacevice, Ph.D., a research associate at the University of Michigan\u2019s Stephen M. Ross School of Business, was curious whether employees identify more with the culture of their organization or of the workspace itself. He and coauthors Gretchen Spreitzer, Hilary Hendricks, and Daniel Davis conducted research exploring the pervasiveness of shared workspace culture, the results of which were published in the Harvard Business Review<\/em> in April<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We saw that identity with one\u2019s organization was significantly higher than with WeWork.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOrganizations invest valuable resources nurturing connectivity among employees and developing work cultures,\u201d the researchers wrote. \u201cBut in a coworking space that houses multiple organizations, there are several messages, norms, and values competing for members\u2019 attention.\u201d As the research team explored this hypothesis, the results were surprising.

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Research has shown<\/a> that when employees feel a connection to their company, they are inclined to participate more, work better, and stay longer. \u201cWhen you meet someone, you often ask, \u2018What do you do for a living?\u2019 In our society, work plays such a prominent role. So the notion of being part of something at work is so central to our lives,\u201d Bacevice says, adding that over the past 50 years, our collective commitment to work has increased while our participation in other community-centered pursuits, like civic involvement or religious organizations, has decreased. \u201cPeople want to feel like they\u2019re a part of something,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen you\u2019re a member of a specific company, and you can align with the values and the mission of that organization, you\u2019re part of a profession. \u201cIf you identify more with something, you\u2019re going to likely be more committed to it.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

To understand the extent to which one\u2019s workplace identity (defined here as the extent to which one feels emotionally, psychologically, and subjectively bound to an employer) is altered when the additional social layer of a coworking space is factored in, Bacevice and his coauthors administered three waves of surveys to more than 1,000 respondents from WeWork member companies ranging in size from 10-person teams to global corporations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bacevice and his team hypothesized that employees\u2019 identity with WeWork would increase over time while their identity with their employers would decrease, lessening and diluting the benefits of identifying with their company. However, the team observed the opposite effect. \u201cWe saw that identity with one\u2019s organization was significantly higher than with WeWork.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WeWork environment actually supported and enhanced the connection employees felt with their organizations. \u201cWe talk a lot about making a life, not just a living,\u201d Liz Burrow, WeWork\u2019s head of workplace strategy for enterprise said in a fireside chat with Bacevice at WeWork\u2019s Chelsea HQ. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon analysis, Bacevice and his team observed that coworking spaces give some members a sense of professionalism and credibility that traditional remote working (say, from a home office or local caf\u00e9) does not. One survey respondent said of her company\u2019s investment in the WeWork space, \u201cWe know that it means we are important and worth the cost they\u2019re spending to keep us together in an office setting.\u201d

Survey respondents also felt the curation of the space was a positive reflection on their company. Bacevice cites one respondent from a large enterprise who said, \u201c[Working at WeWork] helped my company do a 180; it makes us look really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the members who indicated that WeWork plays an active role in shaping their professional and organizational identities, Bacevice and his coauthors noted higher identity scores for both their work organizations and that of WeWork, as well as higher levels of thriving and productivity. The takeaway, Bacevice says, is that when employees align with a community at work, \u201cyou can expect to have potentially better work experience and stronger sense of identity to your own company.\u201d

WeWork offers companies of all sizes space solutions that help solve their biggest business challenges.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n