Understanding ‘good vibe’ atmospheres in coworking spaces

Purpose:

This paper explores what is meant by a ‘good vibe’ atmosphere, an area of significant importance identified in previous studies on user preferences in coworking spaces and an aspect that can determine the success or failure of a place.

Methodology:

An online survey was used to collect the responses of 148 coworkers across Europe and the Middle East on 28 variables measuring the importance of social and material elements that shape a ‘good vibe’ atmosphere (Cronbach alpha coefficient 0.879). Analysis was undertaken using principal component analysis and multiple regression.

Findings:

‘Good vibe’ atmospheres are sensed at two distinct levels: an explicit, conscious appreciation of primarily material elements and a deeper, implicit understanding centred on the social purpose of coworking. At the explicit level, survey participants rated material elements such as natural light, communal areas and a variety of workspaces as the most important contributors to a ‘good vibe’. At the implicit level, regression analysis showed that the Social community component was at the atmospheric core, including elements such as having a sense of community, conversations, or social and work-related events. Material elements and strategies that create the component Communal spaces, including spaces for non-work activities or connections to nature, also made a significant contribution to a ‘good vibe’ atmosphere. These elements and strategies require curation and an active contribution from both providers and users.

Originality:

This paper contributes a conceptual model of ‘good vibe’ atmospheres in coworking spaces. It extends the sociomateriality perspective that suggests complete things and their entanglements by adding an atmospheric lens to consider the ‘in-between’ and ‘no-things’ that are neither fully material nor purely subjective. The outcome is a more comprehensive understanding of this everyday sense-making.

Practical implications:

The importance of both material and social elements to users is presented alongside recommendations to support the curation of ‘good vibe’ atmospheres in shared working locations.