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Program – RGCS events

Program of RGCS events in 2016

Paris chapter

13 January (2 PM, espace one at Dauphine): comparison of local public policies about third places (with the City of Paris and the Conseil Régional Ile de France – La Fonderie)

25 January: RGCS seminar at Player (5 PM) about innovation and entrepreneurship

15th March (2 PM, espace one): study about Fab labs (presentation of a study about 80 European Fab labs, with Raphael Suire, Professor of economics at Université de Rennes)

21st March: RGCS seminar (5 PM) at Beeotop about ethnographical perspectives on maker spaces

17th May: RGCS seminar (4 PM) at Marketing space: « From open spaces to collaborative spaces » with a discussion with the City of Paris (Maud Berthier) about students coworking spaces supported by the city of Paris.

5th July (2 PM, espace one at Dauphine): presentation and open discussions with Sawsan Awada-Jalu (Association L’école de … Read more

Corporate Coworking: What Is the Reality Behind It?

by Blandine Bréchignac

Beyond the quick and massive development of the coworking movement, a recent phenomenon raises attention: corporate coworking (sometimes called “corpoworking”). Is that a new corporate fashion trend? A new idea to strenghten employees motivation? A new lever for real estate optimisation? An incentive to innovate again and again (or more and better)? And what really happens in corporate coworking spaces?

All these questions made it necessary to conduct an in-depth study about corpoworking, what we did from July 2014 to October 2015, in three European countries, France, Germany and Switzerland, comparing the cases of six companies, of different sizes and diverse industries.

For greater precision, the study was based on a deliberately restrictive meaning of “corporate coworking”: the analysis bears solely on coworking spaces created by companies for their employees, and in some cases for outside users as well. The study does not focus on practices, which … Read more

Work transformations and the teaching of management: towards the end of business schools (as they are?)

Academics in the area of management are often invited to draw managerial implications about their research. This is often part of a section called “managerial implications” or “implications for practice” (in scientific journals). Most of the time, this results in extremely expected and unsurprising things. Beyond that, I have always found strange to put myself in the shoes of a manager… who will never read my article.

Research about work and workplace transformations could be a unique opportunity to make a key managerial contribution: rethinking management teaching.

What is the focus of most teachings today? I would say structures, tools, techniques, procedures and projects.

What is already a key lesson of most research about work and workplace transformations, the so-called end of waged employment, and the generalization of entrepreneurship? The new line necessary to follow the deep dynamic of capitalism, society and management is more and more grounded into practices … Read more

Event of RGCS Montreal – 01/15/2016

Le séminaire de RGCS Montréal aura lieu le 15 janvier 2016 (13h30-16h) dans les locaux de l’UQAM (salle DS-3650)

Thème : « Les espaces collaboratifs à Montréal »

Le programme sera le suivant :

13h30-14h : « Le réseau RGCS : philosophie et mode de fonctionnement dans le contexte de Montréal », Viviane Sergi (ESG, UQAM)

14h00-14h30 : « Les espaces collaboratifs à Montréal : un premier état des lieux » Annie Camus (ESG, UQAM)

14h30-15h30 : « Les enjeux de légitimité des espaces collaboratifs : le cas d’un maker space à Paris », Anouk Mukherjee et François-Xavier de Vaujany (Université Paris-Dauphine)

Les coordinateurs de RGCS Montréal,

Viviane, Annie et Anouk

Contact: collaborativespaces@gmail.com… Read more

Une nouvelle clé pour comprendre les espaces collaboratifs : les communautés émotionnelles ?

Max Weber ne cesse d’être découvert et redécouvert. C’est récemment en lisant ou relisant plusieurs de ses écrits que je suis tombé sur cette notion de « communautés émotionnelles » (Weber, 1971, &5, pp. 204-211).

Le concept est à mettre en perspective. Il est mentionné et défini dans le tome 2 d’Economie et société (traduction française de 1971 avec pour sous-titre : « L’organisation et les puissances de la société dans leur rapport avec l’économie). Le projet de Weber est d’articuler l’économique et le social en partant d’unités sociales, juridiques et historiques fondamentales : les communautés.

En particulier en occident, les communautés ont une histoire longue. Elles sont difficilement dissociables des « communautés domestiques » et de certaines de leurs extensions monastiques (j’ai évoqué dans un autre post la racine grecque du mot « abbé », abba, qui signifie « papa »). Les communautés sont le fondement, largement présentiel, … Read more

Event of RGCS London – 01/15

Dear all,

We are pleased to announce the next event of RGCS London, the 15th January, 9.00-16.00 at Cass Business School.

The topic will be: « Collaboration and Innovation in New Workplaces:coworking spaces and maker spaces in London »

Invitation can be accessed here: Invitation – RGCS London 15th January 2016

Please confirm your registration at the following adress: collaborativespaces@gmail.com

Looking forward to meeting you soon in London

François, Hélène, Stefan, Yesh & Nathalie, coordinators of RGCS London

Collaborative spaces in Paris, Singapore and Sydney: so far, so close?

I am just back from a trip in Singapore and Sydney which has been an opportunity to visit 15 collaborative spaces (e.g. coworking spaces, fab lab and maker spaces).

What a strange feeling… going so far, and feeling so close to what I already know.

Firstly, feeling so close to what I have seen in France and other countries. Same pieces of furniture (post-its, acoustic bubbles, iconic ping-pong tables, chalk boards, Ikea seats and tables…), same space design (welcome desk, general L or U shape of the place…), same emphasis on a ‘community’ (see the charter of Stone & Chalk below), general use of open spaces punctuated sometimes by small closed offices…

Picture 1: The community charter of Stone & Chalk in Sydney

This makes me realize, again, how global our world has become. People share the same information, the same training (e.g. standardized MBA programs), the same providers and … Read more

Sharing a bottle of wine: back to the roots of the sharing economy?

Still in Sydney, where I’ve had the opportunity to share a good bottle of wine today during lunch time. A good bottle of Australian pinot noir. For a wine lover, this is always a great experience. People drink their pint of beer in a pub. People can ‘share’ a bottle of wine. Sharing means both drinking together wine from the same bottle. Often, sharing the cost of it. But it means much more than this. It is a great opportunity for socialization. Firstly, when the waiter comes and asks who will taste first. This is of course a way to test if wine is ‘bouché’. But this also a great opportunity to valorize guests, place them in the ultimate position to judge and open the ritual. Depending on the experience, comments can then enrich the experience. Wine becomes melted into the discussion, part of a great phenomenogical experience. Mediating it, … Read more

Collaboration in an academic building: the case of UTS new building in Sydney

First of all, I would like to say that I really like UTS new building designed by Franck Gehry. It makes me think about Gaudi’s productions in Barcelona. The façade is amazing. The stairs (see picture below) and new amphitheaters are highly iconic. Volumes, lights, wood, glasses, are part of a great aesthetic experience.

But I wonder if all this really leaves a room for everyday activities of administrative and technical staff, academics and students. Making a tour of the place (with a major academic of UTS) was a fantastic experience. But the day after this visit, I started wondering about something. A couple of years ago, campus and academic buildings were designed first. Then, they were enacted through campus tours with parents and prospective students. Today (in particular for this building), it seems that the campus and building tour is designed first (all iconic artifacts and glamorous trajectories are … Read more

Fab time: let me show you our new space in the city

Maker spaces, fab labs, hacker spaces, innovation labs, media labs… are great things to show. What is more effective, to impress a visitor, than to show him or her a place, an ‘innovative’ place. To make innovation, during the time of a tour, ‘something’ which can be seen, told, touched, in a word, experienced. Collaborative spaces are iconic spaces expected to concentrate the best of a company or society at large: collaboration and collaborative values, innovation, up to date technologies, glamorous furniture, stimulating colors and shapes, cool atmosphere…

In companies, a fab lab is thus a great think to show to external visitors, in particular customers. The place is attractive, and its openness makes it easy for him or her to project himself or herself into the space.

Beyond that, a fab lab (and collaborative spaces at large) are great opportunities for communication and demonstration in the context of cities … Read more