What Office Type is Right for YOUR Team?

Company culture reflects the beliefs of an organisation and the goals they seek to achieve. This culture is evident in every aspect of your organisation from its management structure to the interior design of your very office.

For small startups who are struggling to find their identity, choosing the right office setting and how you wish to manage your employees, be it remote or under one roof, is the first step toward establishing your culture and identity.

In a collective sense, culture and identity are synonymous. Whether you’re looking to enter the coworking space or rent out a commercial property you need to worry about establishing your identity as much as your cost. For entrepreneurs like Peter Thiel, branding is everything and establishing a monopoly over your brand is the first step toward establishing an identity and presence in your vertical.

We’d like to provide you with a list of some considerations you should take before purchasing office space and establishing your identity as an organisation.

Management Structure

For many startups, private office spaces are an appealing option because they can accommodate small teams and they’re cheap. In terms of your organisation’s management structure, your office space should be taken into careful consideration.

Horizontal and team-first organisational cultures focus on the equal dissemination of ideas and input into various company strategies. Open office spaces and project spaces match this mantra by putting all of your employees on an equal footing and providing them with a place to actively work together.

For more traditional organisations, commercial spaces or private offices will be ideal, segmenting members into their respective department and roles within the office.

The coworking space provides flexibility for founders and entrepreneurs to purchase turnkey office leases that match their office culture and organisational structure.

Team Size

Some companies form their identities around small teams with a focus as a customer-first organisation. Coworking spaces are appealing for small teams because they can still retain the amenities and appearance of a traditional office setting while having the freedom to lease as they choose.  

For elite companies hitting their growth phase, the commercial office setting allows them to manage all of their employees under one roof while giving them a centralised identity. On the other hand, many of today’s leading businesses understand the importance and freedom that remote work provides. Leveraging private office spaces saves businesses money from having to house their employees under one roof. Many companies are turning to the coworking space to allow workers to operate remotely while still remaining connected to the organisation.

Location

Location, location, location. Elite businesses are defined by headquarters in big cities, while small businesses reside in their local communities. Choosing a location for your business is critical to its identity in this day and age. Can you really define yourself as a small organisation helping small businesses in NYC with a commercial office in downtown Manhattan?

Beyond this, the coworking space provides companies with the flexibility to operate and move locations in any city they want. Beyond this, they can manage teams at private offices in other major cities across the country.

From the employee perspective though, location is everything. Traditionally, where you worked is where you lived. Employees want to work at a business where they'd choose to live. They also want to work at a business that has access to local amenities and attractions they can visit on their break or after work. Finding an affordable lease in the commercial sector of a city is quite impossible. Fortunately, many coworking spaces provide this option for startups and medium-sized businesses alike. Larger businesses can also be accommodated with enterprise size spaces.

Community

Community gives employees a sense of pride and belonging within an organisation. The commercial office setting fosters this sense of community by housing members of the community together and developing a workplace identity based on collective norms in the office.

The coworking space also provides its own sense of community. When you operate a startup in a shared office setting you're also working within a community of other small businesses and startups. These are the forward thinkers of tomorrow and the innovators of today’s world. Furthermore, in-house coordinators actively try to foster this sense of community by providing a positive, shared environment.

Work and Play

Many people try to dispute work-play balance as a myth. All work and no play truly does breed banality. As most disruptive and progressive companies will tell you, creativity is inspired by freedom. If you're a company that prides itself on balancing work and play then consider a project space with the technology and amenities you require to keep employees engaged in the process.

The office setting is where work gets done, clients are met, and your employees live out half of their lives. A company with no identity can’t survive in today’s highly competitive business environment. Your office setting serves as an extension of this identity and sets the tone going forward for all face-to-face interactions you have with clients and customers. Choose an office setting that can accommodate your needs and provide you with a professional setting to help you grow your business.