[hackerspaces] how to deal with tired staff, with hackespaces blues

[Edward L Platt]

> If the space is not "owned" by the members then it's going to be treated
> like a pay-for workshop service since that is what you are providing.
> There's nothing wrong with that, but it sounds like you need to charge more
> and pay your staff more if they are getting burned out.
>
^ This!

It sounds like your hackerspace has chosen to have staff who have
additional privileges and responsibilities.  Although different from how
many spaces run, there's nothing wrong with that, but in that situation you
have to expect the members to take less ownership of the space.  In short,
it's structured like a business, so it makes sense to run it more like a
business.

I have two more general suggestions for fostering a community where people
take care of the space:

1. Rather than changing people's behavior, be picky about the behaviors you
allow into your space.  Every new member is an example to other members,
and a danger of growth is a lot of members setting a bad example.  If you
focus on rewarding  members who take care of the space and make it easy for
them to be around more to set good examples, the place should develop a
culture of responsibility.

2. In other types of organizations, I've seen volunteer coordinators work
wonders.  Just having a person to coordinate and track volunteers can make
a huge difference.

-Ed

-- 
Edward L. Platt
http://elplatt.com
http://civic.mit.edu/users/elplatt
http://i3detroit.com
@elplatt <http://twitter.com/elplatt>
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