Third Space in the Workplace

The third space refers to the third place in which people could perform work
harmoniously. It is a place outside their homes and work place where an individual can
still carry out a job as well as socialize or interact with other like-minded people. This
concept has already become a trend in most offices, local and international, and is
commonly observed in a company’s interior designs and in their neighboring
establishments. For example, there might be a coffee shop within the vicinity of the
workplace or a mini study area inside the building where employees could share their
thoughts with others while still carrying on a task.
Most of the examples that our group will mention are more on the transformation
of traditional office-type workplaces into more flexible and informal ones. This definition
of third space is more leaning on Ray Oldenburg’s view on the third place. Following
this, scholars summarized the shared concepts of third places in eight characteristics: 1)
neutral ground; 2) acts as a leveler; 3) conversations are the main activity; 4)
assessable and accommodating; 5) existence of regulars; 6) low profile; 7) playful
mood; and 8) has the comfort of a “home”. However, in 1996, Edward Soja also
developed his own theory on third space. His concept of third place was a critical urban
theory perspective, mainly influenced by postmodern philosophers, and therefore,
breaks the initial views and notions on having a “separate physical space for
socialization from the first and second spaces”. It comprises related concepts of both
real and imagined places such as place, location, locality, landscape, environment,
home, city, region, territory and geography.
A real life example of Oldenburg’s concept is Google’s workplace; employees
usually don’t have regular office desks or cubicles but rather comfy furniture that gives
them a relaxing ambiance. Also Google have coffee shops and areas where there are
mini-games or technologies for entertainment in their campus. This is to help employees
lower their levels of work stress, strengthening every staff’s teamwork leading to a
higher level of productivity. A third place then could be a solution to every employees’
woes about how “plain, dull, boring” their workplace is. It could also help a leader
develop greater sense of connectivity with his members and vice versa.
However, third spaces do not always generate positive feedbacks in terms of
building deeper connections with colleagues as it is a place where the hierarchy
between workers is not always recognized. Much like defying the rules of spatial
dimensions, third spaces enables its participants to connect or socialize without limits.
With our inhibition reduced and eagerness to express oneself in a place with blurred
social norms, there is bound to be chaos.
The Philippines, as a nation, having to involve people with diverse and complex
cultural backgrounds can actually arise potential conflicts on various situations. In a
study conducted by Idrus (2012), he explored the ethnic cultural tensions and conflicts
in Malaysia by focusing on a single school context and the usage of analyzing
Malaysian short stories in breeding a shared Malaysian identity. Since not all of the
students were purely Malaysians, the challenge posted was the interaction and
decision-making they needed to accomplish amidst difference in ethnicities, making
hybridity the central concept of the study.
The findings of the paper concluded that collaborative engagement is essential in
constructing a shared identity because there is an intersection of ideas and beliefs in
which they incorporate while doing the group work assigned to them. Hybridity may be a
barrier in communicating the context an individual belongs in, but the third space is a
place for construction and reconstruction. It is the regulation of the present perspectives
one has, which eventually tear down after several negotiations on another set of
notions. With that, a new kind of perspective is translated and reconstructed.
In the local context, one cannot choose the colleagues he or she wants to work
with. Instead, it is necessary to adapt and blend in. The third space isn’t limited to
leisure and socialization because it is also a gateway towards the formation of new
discourses. This paper assumes that all employees are hybrids of their own kind given
the fact that Filipinos are of mixed nature.
One example can be related to food choices. The company may plan to hold a
gathering for all the employees wherein everyone is encouraged to bring their own food
to share or in other words, “potluck”. During the said event, almost all served viands
with pork. Little do they know, the new employees that have been recently hired are
Muslims. This gives discomfort to both parties.
Another example is religion. The company plans to surprise the CEO because
his birthday is next week. One employee is actually one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, in
which in their religion, they don’t celebrate birthdays. His co-workers may force and
pressure him to join and can even be branded as killjoy.
Last example will be on racial differences. A new Indian employee has been
introduced to his office mates in the Philippines. When they decided to have lunch
together in a café, one of his colleagues asked him if he would often take a bath since
Indians are known to have foul odor. It can appear as insensitive to the Indian employee
if he would take it as a kind of insult and not as a point of inquiry. In that way, he can
choose to be outright defensive that may generate a rift between him and the colleague
or explain and describe their culture to them.
Third spaces are points of compromise. Points of negotiation. People often find
their identities in these spaces. People have a sense of implied sense of belongingness
when they are inside a third space. Often these spaces give restoration because they
feel that they belong inside the group. More often than not, adaptation is a key to
belonging oneself in a third space.
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Gutiérrez, Kris, D. Baquedano, P. López, & C. Tejada (1999) Rethinking diversity:
Hybridity and hybrid language practices in the Third Space. Mind, Culture, and Activity
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Idrus, F. (2012). Shared Identity Construction: The Third Space Exploration.

International Journal of Humanities and Social Science. Institute of Education. The
International Islamic University Malaysia. Vol. 2 No. 21. Pp. 111-119.

Oldenburg, Ray (1989). The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Community
Centers, Beauty Parlors, General Stores, Bars, Hangouts, and How They Get You
Through the Day. New York: Paragon House.

Soja, E. W. (1996). Thirdspace: Journeys to Los Angeles and other real-and-imagined

places. Cambridge, Mass: Blackwell.