Among many other things, the story of coworking is a story of entrepreneurship. While it may be as much about community and the gathering of urban tribes, there is an awesome amount of entrepreneurship going on too.
This may contribute to what will be a slow and awkward courtship between mainstream corporates and the independents that thrive in coworking spaces...Why?
Memes of Entrepreneurship
In Management 101 textbooks, few management topics are as misunderstood and mis-taught as entrepreneurship. Despite the fact that some 85% of all business worldwide are relatively small family businesses, small businesses (and entrepreneurship) get part of 1 chapter of coverage at best.
Generic corporate thinking is suspicious of entrepreneurs. In the October 2006 issue of Harvard Business Review, David Garvin and Lynne Levesque state it bluntly: New businesses require innovation, innovation requires fresh ideas, and fresh ideas require mavericks...But most mavericks, sadly, can't tell the difference between good and bad ideas. They follow this with a quote from (former Home Depot CEO and current Chrysler CEO) Robert Nardelli, where he says: There's only a fine line between entrepreneurship and insubordination.
There you have it: mavericks and insubordinates. That is, people who you really can't trust.
What this is really saying is that these are people who say NO to being a Yes Man, NO to turning up and putting in face time in exchange for a so-called career. Entrepreneurs are people who, frankly, are just asking for a little more out of life. They ask for something new, different, challenging. They're not content with doing the same thing, everyday, with no possibility of entering into a fresh experience.
Jim Collins Gets It
In his forward to Fast Company's Greatest Hits, Jim Collins boils down what for him are 5 premises that summarize the Fast Company generation:
Premise 1: Work is not a means to an end: it is an end in itself.
Premise 2: If your competitive scorecard is money, you will always lose.
Premise 3: Business is a mechanism for social change- for good and ill.
Premise 4: Entrepreneurship is a life concept, not a business concept.
Premise 5: Performance is the fundamental requirement.
Wow! For me this nails it, particularly #4. Entrepreneurship is a life concept...
What are some of the memes, then? Independence, determination, results, acceptance of risk, need for excitement, desire for a challenge...
What are some other memes?
The Butcher
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