By John Arenas | October 1, 2013

Capitol Coworking: Is That The Mayor at That Workbar?

When the Public Sector Takes a Cooperative Approach to Problem-Solving

We believe that people come to innovative ideas when they feel inspired and connected. Next month, San Francisco—which has more than 30 bourgeoning coworking spaces—will become the first city to apply the collaborative work culture to its local politics.

Through a new Entrepreneurship-in-Residence program offered by the Mayor’s Office, the city will select three to five teams—composed of startups or individuals—to work toward resolving public issues, like education and energy, alongside government officials.  Over the course of the 16-week program, the teams will meet in coworking spaces.

Surprising, maybe. Logical? Definitely.

Healthcare, education, transportation, energy, and infrastructure are issues that involve the greater population, not just a handful of officials. The most effective method of solving the problems of a group is through a group effort. (Isn’t that kind of the principle behind our government in the first place?)

We think San Francisco’s new program shows how we can change our work environment to be the change in how we think, communicate, and the solutions we come to not only on the company level—on the community level too. We look forward to the results!