Building a Systems Thinking Workspace
by Janice Molloy
Early in my career, I worked for the college division of a textbook publishing company. The editorial, design, production, and marketing departments occupied one floor of a mid-size office building. Whether intentional or not, this arrangement was brilliant. I can't even calculate how many problems were solved or ideas were generated during chance conversations with colleagues from other functions at the common coffee pot. That $.25 a cup was a small investment for the sharing of knowledge and building of insight that took place time and again.
With the rise of technology, for many of us, these kinds of serendipitous connections are harder to come by than before. More and more people are working out of their home offices, as independent contractors and consultants, or in virtual organizations. As useful as email, Skype, Twitter, and shared online documents can be, they can't replace random encounters at the copy machine or lively discussions over the lunch table. What we have gained in flexibility, efficiency, and independence, we may have lost in terms of a sense of community and unplanned synergies.
To contribute toward filling this gap, we're launching a shared workspace in the Pegasus offices in Waltham, MA, for people interested in systems thinking and other change management 
methodologies. The Pegasus workspace is a part-time alternative for those who want to get out of their home offices once or twice a week, for people who travel to the Boston area for business and regularly need a place to land for a few hours, or for trainers and consultants looking to use a conference room for presentations, meetings, or small workshops.
The plan is to co-create an open, creative working environment where people have access to the resources, help, contacts, advice, partnerships, and inspiration they need to achieve their goals and objectives. Together, we'll plan brown-bag lunches and other opportunities for learning and collaboration. We'll meet each other in the hall or while heating our lunches in the office microwave. The goal is to get our work done in an environment suited to building community and transforming our ideas into action.
If you're interested in exploring the possibilities, you can find details here. We're holding an open house on April 12, 2010--drop in any time between 12:30 and 6:30 p.m., or call to set up a time to come by. We're also conducting a free trial week April 19-23.
Do you know of shared workspaces in other regions and practice areas? What principles/guidelines can lead to success?
Janice Molloy is content director of Pegasus Communications, managing editor of The Systems Thinker newsletter, and program director of the annual Systems Thinking in Action conference.