A Coworking Federation - Is There a Need? The need of the hour for such an association would be to Increase and promote awareness of the Coworking Industry in India
By Akshit Mehta •
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Coworking is a movement that is redefining the way we work and live. Inspired by the participatory culture of the open source movement and the transforming nature of technology areas, we are building a more sustainable future through a new work-life balance. Coworking is proving to be one of the most ideal workspace solutions for all kinds of businesses ranging from freelancers to larger corporations. With the multitude of services and community-driven ecosystem at affordable pricing and such flexibility, coworking spaces have given the service industry a whole new approach.
Although every coworking space in India operates independently we all agree that coworking has the same fundamental principles that benefit individuals, businesses and the communities that they operate in. In recent times, regular exchanges amongst local coworking spaces have taken traction along with the number of spaces. A lot of talent is present, it just needs to work together. Different environments need to overlap, to connect and to interact in order to transform the coworking culture.
But, why the need for a federation? This new economy cannot thrive without engaging the larger business, creative, entrepreneurial, governmental, non-governmental and technical communities together. Various factors would play a role in creating a sustainable community based on trust which would be led and represented by an association. The need of the hour for such an association would be to Increase and promote awareness of the Coworking Industry in India, simultaneously, accelerating trade development efforts, improving talent supply, strengthening local infrastructure, building partnerships and driving operational excellence.
Such a federation would be expected to -
work actively with the government at various levels to address mutual issues and concerns and provide resources for anyone interested in coworking options in India. Facilitate networking among Indian Coworking Communities in all language regions.
Represent the Indian Coworking Community to international coworking community.
Organising interactive local forums with visiting Indian delegations or heads of the industry with the intent of developing business opportunities.
Promote, Preserve & Collaborate between the entities that provide their services in coworking and co-working centres.
Carry out any other activities and actions in defence of collaborative work, as a team, autonomous and independent
The Federation shall majorly promote coworking as a catalyst for connectivity, innovation, creativity and business growth that in turn encourages collaboration between spaces and collaboration between the people who use coworking spaces. It shall act as a one-stop centre for coworking information and shall act as an easy to help coworking space owners better operate their spaces based on the values of coworking while meeting their business goals.
As quoted in a report by GCUC (Global Coworking Unconference Conference), "Coworking is a global phenomenon: Coworking is growing around the world and most major cities have coworking spaces. Asia/Pacific (which includes India in our work), and especially China, have embraced coworking, making APAC the world's largest coworking market."
So many coworking spaces operate independently of one another while still maintaining friendly & collaborative relations. To forge formal relationships with each like-minded space would be impossible, hence creating the need for a Coworking Federation of India to gracefully handle this by creating a way for any space that's interested in sharing to opt in.
