Shared Work Supply Chain
State of the Union
What you might recognize as your local coworking space is actually one piece of a huge supply chain that services next-generation smart workers. These workers consist of the entrepreneurs, salespeople, consultants, freelancers and the remote workforce. Theres more of these every year, with no signs of fatigue on the horizon.
In this article, we will explore some of the elements of the supply chain and get an understanding of how large it is, and who is currently an intermediary in the chain. Note that many of these individual elements have been integrated by these intermediaries, which means that they offer the element alongside others as a package for the benefit of users and fortification of their business model. The term “integrated” is to be understood in the context of Aggregation Theory.
This document is subject to change as more providers and categories emerge.
Identity
Description: Each location relies on distinct processes for determining worker identity, membership status, access restrictions and more. In response, several Classpass-like startups have emerged to offer integration between locations for things like identity, membership and billing. This provides seamless work experiences, user friendly onboarding and individual space access to a wider worker liquidity pool.
Workspace Discovery
Description: The process of discovery for workers who are looking for a space to work, a.k.a search. Typically, shared workspaces providers upload their space as a listing to centralized or volunteer registries. Any syndication requires manually coordinating changes or working with a listings syndicator service. Marketers typically are responsible for preparing and uploading the listings and syndicating if necessary.
Location Curation
Description: The process of judging shared workspaces based on some criteria for improved discovery and recognition. For example, which workspaces offer the best community for my skills? Which workspaces are just coffee shops in disguise and not meant for real work?
Demand Aggregators
Description: Typically, these provide coworking space members the opportunity to purchase services at bulk prices. This is done by aggregating the buying power (demand) of all members in the network and sourcing service providers who want exposure to this demand. This is important due to the large numbers of individuals who are remote workers, and would benefit from this access.
Space Management Software
Description: The shared workspace operators need software to coordinate reservations, members, memberships, invoicing, events, promotions and community. A number of providers offer software-as-a-service solutions to help with the operation of a space. The space management software is typically integrated with other elements like Identity and Workspace Discovery.
Alliances
Description: Serve a function as an organizing collective entity offering members access to the workspaces in the alliance.
Workspace Brokers
Description: A subset of the commercial real estate supply chain, this element provides brokering of workspaces for corporations, startups and organizations. In some cases, brokers will evaluate the need for dedicated commercial real estate development and instead direct to the client to a shared workspace as an intermediate solution.
“Sharing Economy” Aggregators
Description: These companies have a sharing economy business model that connects workers and companies with vacant workspace. Typically, these companies integrate with a few of the elements above to provide a cohesive experience.
The main supply is all the entrepreneurs, salespeople, consultants, freelances and generally the remote workforce. The suppliers include the physical workspaces but also any of the intermediaries above that together provide community, support and workspace services. Of course, they are many more startups and organizations who serve the industry that did not make the list. Please provide any additional feedback/suggestions as I genuinely want to understand the scope as much as possible.
If you’re a smart worker, don’t let your human curation ability go to waste! Please support a decentralized organization, accessible workspaces and zero-waste economics by clapping and sharing this article. If you’re interested in decentralized communities and have a passion for the blockchain, stay tuned to Workspace0x and lets Smart Together.
