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‘I like the “buzz”, but I also suffer from it’: Mitigating interaction and distraction in collective workplaces

Wijngaarden, Yosha

Human relations (New York), 2023-12, Vol.76 (12), p.1881-1903 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

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Title:
‘I like the “buzz”, but I also suffer from it’: Mitigating interaction and distraction in collective workplaces
Author: Wijngaarden, Yosha
Subjects: Distraction ; Rituals ; Social exchange theory ; Social interaction ; Work environment ; Workplaces
Is Part Of: Human relations (New York), 2023-12, Vol.76 (12), p.1881-1903
Description: Collective workplaces – such as coworking spaces, open workplan offices, maker spaces, or fab labs – are founded on one central premise: working alongside others leads to interactions, collaborations and access to ‘buzzing’ knowledge. Yet, at the same time, users of these places go there to do their (often freelance) work, requiring a productive, and therefore usually quiet, work environment. Drawing on interviews and ethnographic fieldwork in the Netherlands, this research explores how users of collective workplaces navigate the coworking paradox: the need for quiet workplaces and the desire for social interaction. It shows how interactions emerge through rituals and especially routines, and describes the spatio-temporal conditions under which these interactions may lead to successful forms of social exchange and community formation.
Publisher: London, England: SAGE Publications
Language: English

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