Towards an Economy of Encounters? A critical study of affectual assemblages in coworking

Abstract

Coworking spaces have been established in great numbers around the globe over the past 10 years. Previous studies on coworking spaces argue that these spaces are designed to enable serendipitous encounters. Here we introduce the concept of an economy of encounters, arguing that both intended and unintended encounters have become a form of production in the knowledge-based new economy. This paper draws upon the critical analysis of three case studies of different coworking settings-two open coworking spaces and a corporate coworking office. Following Deleuze and Guattari, we see coworking spaces as affectual assemblages that create affects that push knowledge workers in flow and motion to enable the formation of new kinds of heterogeneous and constantly changing work communities, where serendipitous encounters become a force of production. We argue that this commodification of a social phenomenon, i.e. the intentional use of affectual assemblages of people, objects and ideas to create serendipitous opportunities, ignores the precariousness of contemporary work.

Mapping themes in the study of new work practices

“…This has, for example, taken the form of phenomenological (De Vaujany and Aroles, 2019) or sociomaterial (Mazmanian et al, 2013;Lehdonvirta, 2018) inquiries. Others have, for instance, drawn from the work of Foucault to position coworking spaces as complex 'post-capitalocentric spaces' (Vidaillet and Bousalham, 2018), from the work of Deleuze and Guattari to conceptualize coworking spaces as affectual assemblages (Jakonen et al, 2017), from the spatial theory of Lefebvre in the study of new ways of working (Hirst, 2011;Kingma, 2016), or from labour process theory in order to apprehend the gig economy (Gandini, 2019).…”

“…Interestingly, these spaces embody different ethos; for instance, coworking spaces are seen as imbued with a more corporate flavour as compared to the political ethics of hackerspaces, or the strong 'community orientation' of makerspaces. Coworking spaces, which host professionals working in shared office spaces, have received attention in the literature (Spinuzzi, 2012;Garrett et al, 2017;Jakonen et al, 2017;Blagoev et al, 2019). If coworking spaces are mostly used by freelancers, microbusinesses and self-employed individuals (Bouncken and Reusch, 2018), they have also nonetheless been colonized by company employees, in line with the development of 'hot-desking' and similar practices.…”

The dialectics of spatial performances: The interplay of tensions in activity-based organizing

“…Flow is also tied to types of movement, particularly linear as opposed to circular rhythms (Lefebvre, 2004). Future research then might examine the transitions between flows and rhythms in the use of workspaces (Jakonen, et al, 2017). Research on flow and rhythm raises questions about the coordination of movement in space.…”

Coworking Spaces in the Global South: Local Articulations and Imaginaries

“…Drawing from the idea of "accelerating serendipity by coworking" (Messina, 2007), Moriset introduced the concept of "serendipity production" as the core principle of coworking spaces in that it increases one's chances of fruitful business encounters (2013:1-2,8). Through its social, spatial, and material elements, coworking spaces have been observed to function as social economies that facilitate information coordination amongst workers through "focal points of mutual expectations" (Graham et al, 152;Waters-Lynch and Potts, 2016;Wang and Loo 2017) and "serendipitous encounters" (Jakonen et al, 2017); as spaces that foster "synergetic relationships" (Capdevila, 2013:6, 11); and even as sites for social and emotional support (Gerdenitsch et al, 2016). Some studies even claim that simply being in the company of others may already provide a form of comfort for coworkers (Gerdenitsch 2016), so much so that "working alone together" without necessarily having to socialize or network amongst one another is already more than enough for some workers to carry out productive work (Spinuzzi, 2012:412).…”