Building communities
Written by: Francisco Borges
In this 2023, Sweet Space Museum will be 3 years old and since then, in an adventurous journey through a different business model, we have managed to meet all the milestones established in our plans, which has led us to ask ourselves, in a retrospective exercise, what elements have been fundamental for things to be flowing. Seeing how a project is growing is not only cause for celebration, but also forces us to reflect on what strategies and decisions have allowed us to achieve our goals and how we can continue to improve in the future.
The most important element, for me, are our guides: the Sweeters. The Sweeters are the key piece within the artistic and immersive experience of the museum. At Sweet Space, we have found that the commitment, dedication and collaboration of our team has been fundamental to achieving our goals. More than 200,000 visitors have always praised the warmth of our team, highlighting their professionalism, efficiency and friendliness, in short, their "Sweet" personality. In addition, brand partners recognize the importance of maintaining a work environment where everyone feels valued and listened to. The work of our Sweeters is critical to our visitors' enjoyment of the entire museum experience.
Creating a sense of belonging and community in the workplace as part of the journey of working at Sweet Space is a key aspect of project success. When the team feels valued and part of a tight-knit community, they are more likely to engage and work together towards a common goal. Therefore, for us, fostering a sense of community in the workplace is vital to achieving a positive company culture and increased productivity. An example of this productivity is that in 2 years we have managed to increase x3 the capacity of the number of visitors served in a single day without any incidents; another example is the large number of reviews we have on Google or TripAdvisor in just 2 years.
The first step in fostering a sense of community is to create an inclusive and close working environment. It is important that all team members feel that their opinions and contributions are valued and that they feel respected by their peers. To achieve this, it is important to proactively seek honest feedback from the team. A listened to and engaged team can foster innovation and collaboration, which in turn can drive the development of new ideas and creative solutions to business problems.
This first point is very important and is associated with a term known as "psychological safety", which seeks through inclusiveness and empathy to reinforce the feeling of security with respect to the job. Says Herminia Ibarra, considered one of the 20 most influential business management experts in the world, 'When people are afraid of losing their job, they tend to manipulate their boss by telling him what he wants to hear', and this, ultimately, is a risk to the well-being of the company. The aim is to reinforce through psychology the feeling of closeness and understanding.
This is why the most important thing is to establish open and transparent communications in the day-to-day running of the project. Everyone should feel that they are regularly informed about the progress and achievements of the company and that their opinions and suggestions are consulted and listened to. Clear and effective communication is a crucial component for teamwork and for fostering an environment of collaboration and trust.
Another way to foster this sense of community is through activities and events that involve all Sweet Space Museum members. For example, breakfasts and lunches, team outings, community volunteering. We will soon be starting a very cool volunteer program and mentoring programs that allow team members to get to know each other better outside of the work environment. These activities not only build camaraderie among everyone, but are also beneficial to the morale and well-being of the project. One of the results of this dynamic is the confidence that our Sweeters feel when recommending people close to them to be part of the Sweet Space ecosystem, since we have made very few open calls for new additions to the team since our inception, almost everything has been through referral.
In summary, now in times of new adventures, it is important for us to foster a sense of community at Sweet Space, this is a fundamental aspect of the health of the project. By continuing to work on creating an inclusive company culture, providing opportunities for personal and professional development, establishing open and transparent communications, and organizing activities and events to engage the team, we can achieve a united and committed community that will work together to achieve all the goals we set for ourselves.