There’s no there, there. Gertrude Stein’s pithy put-down has been used to illustrate lack of substance in business strategy, consumer products, public policy… and virtual working. But virtual working takes many forms. Because people connect and collaborate in countless ways. Some of which even involve sitting next to each other! Remote working, video conferencing, whiteboard-enabled collaboration - all are great. But few companies cut the cord and do without desks and chairs entirely. The learning organisation needs to foster a sense of place, whether there’s a there there or not. So when the search begins for a shared office space, how can today’s CIOs make the most of their “there” there? (And yes, that’s the first time any collaboration expert has used a word that many times in one sentence.) This SlideShare has some ideas. Over the next 30 slides you’ll find 8 key traits of hyper-productive co-working arrangements from around the world. If you’re charged with finding shared office space to give your business leaders a platform from which to rule the world, test each option against the points below.

1. It’s all about that base...
why shared office spaces
are productive hubs for
business leaders

2. There is a there, there

4. 8 RULES FOR CHOOSING
A BEST-OF-BREED
CO-WORKING SPACE...

5. RULE #1:
Look first at what you can’t see

6. Beautiful buildings
make hearts soar…
...but first, look for
soaring connectivity.

7. Funky architecture can mask clogged
bandwidth and variable quality.
So start with the basics:
web connectivity.

8. Is the building’s network
fast and reliable?
Are there any cold spots
in its Wi-fi?
Who’s responsible if
it goes wrong?

9. In shared office space,
flawless connectivity
must be the start.

10. RULE #2:
Check the layout is balanced

11. Look around your
co-working space.
Are some hot desks prime
real estate...and others
fly-blown wastelands?

12. Imagine the scramble
for “best desks” whenever
the team gets in.

13. Great shared
office spaces
are egalitarian.
Check that no desk or
booth is more equal
than others.

14. RULE #3:
Go for great architecture
when you can

15. As great co-working
providers know,
interesting interiors
make people happy.

16. Happy people like going to work…and
do better work
when they’re there.

17. Don’t go for bland just
because it’s cheap.

18. RULE #4:
Count the impromptus.

19. What are
impromptus?
They’re nooks and corners
where people can meet
spontaneously.

20. Chance interactions
foster innovation.
And innovation
is a productivity
supercharger.

21. Smart CIOs don’t leave chance
interactions to chance.

22. RULE #5:
Get everything moving.

23. Are the walls
on wheels?
Do the tables join up?
Can you shift the sofas?

24. A productive
co-working space
isn’t just how
flexible it is.
It’s how flexible you
can make it.

25. A shared office space your
people can
configure
Is one they can own.

26. RULE #6:
There is no Rule #6.

28. Let’s keep it
humorous, people.
Light-hearted banter
and shared jokes make
for well-oiled teams.

29. Don’t make your workspace
all about work.

30. RULE #7:
Road-test the hardware

31. Desks and chairs
alone do not make
a co-working space.

32. Look for the
cool stuff.

33. (And we don’t mean table football
or 80s arcade games.)

34. Big screens.
E-whiteboards.
VR immersion pods.
Disco lighting.

35. Ok, maybe not disco lighting.

36. But make sure the electronics
satisfy your people’s needs.

37. RULE #8:
Check for cross-fertilisation
opportunities

38. The great thing
about many shared
office spaces…
...is that you can sit
alongside other departments,
even other companies.

39. This lets your people steal,
sorry, be inspired
by ideas from
elsewhere.

40. The faster-moving your sector,
The more cross-fertilisation helps.

41. RULE #9:
Make sure the numbers add up.

42. Co-working is
funky, innovative,
exciting…
...but never forget it’s a
business
investment.

43. Judge total cost of ownership for a
shared office space
As you would any other asset.

44. Co-working is a sexy business

45. But nothing is more
“business sexy” than ROI.

46. Above all,
make sure your
co-working space…
works.

47. Takeaways
In co-working, space matters - but so
does infrastructure
The right shared office spaces foster chance
encounters and impromptu meetings
Great co-working spaces let workers
redesign them to suit.

48. Ready to get your collaborative
workplace going? Download
The connected
business: Generating a
collaborative culture,
how to build innovation
in your enterprise
Download now
Strategic
Effective
Flexible
Generating a collaborative
culture, how to build
innovation in your enterpriseThe connected business:
Strategic
Effective
Flexible
Generating a collaborative
culture, how to build
innovation in your enterprise
The connected business: