By John Arenas | September 8, 2013

Corporate, Meet Coworking

A corporate soldier goes renegade and brings back a list of useful ideas from a coworking sojourn.

Last week, Seth Porges, a contributing writer to Forbes, took an assignment coworking in lower Manhattan.

“Seeing its shelves of whiskey, rustic reclaimed wood furniture, and soda-stocked fridge, I felt an almost preternatural urge to whip out a laptop, nestle in a nook, and bust out code — never mind that I haven’t written a line since the QBasic days.”

In his article on the excursion, Porges offers ways for traditional offices to adopt some of the attributes and advantages of the coworking experience.

Some of these include: inviting an outside speaker to give a talk on a new program, or implementing an employee exchange by sending workers to other locations or companies on behalf of your own. These kinds of coworking-inspired ideas work not only by breaking routines, but also by getting people talking.

“That unused conference room or empty desk can be a tool for bringing outside ideas and enthusiasm,” he says.

Check out the entire list here.