They say that two heads are better than one. I agree. However, I believe that they are even more effective when they’re sitting together in the same room or office.
There has been much debate about the pros and cons of working remotely vs. in an office environment with colleagues. In my experience in the agency world, flex time had already become a standard part of employee perks, but then came along the pandemic and that changed everything.
There is a whole work force generation that has never worked full-time at their place of work! And yet, going to the office each day was a standard accepted practice just a few years ago (see article link below).
Always interesting what was considered the “norm” is now looked at as the “exception” because outside circumstances changed the perspective.
I firmly believe that innovation and creativity are better fostered in a group environment.
Ideation, brainstorming, collaborative sessions…call it what you like…but gathering multiple “heads” in the room and having an organized sharing of ideas, feeding off each other’s thoughts, challenging each other with “So, what?” or even experiencing that “Aha!” moment, becomes richer and more effective when everyone can experience the passion and brilliance, first hand, around a table.
For me, I was always more effective at these types of meetings when I could pace the room, back and forth. That’s kind of hard to do when you’re on a camera and computer screen.
Even “Walk-Up” or “Hallway Meetings,” as we used to call them, were when great ideas were fostered. Two people interacting, face-to-face, sharing ideas and reacting with emotion and honesty on the spur of the moment.
Shared thinking and learning best happens when you’re in proximity of others. It results in genuine, focused connection that results in collaboration, cooperation, and most important, innovation. Innovation becomes reality through relationship.
To bring an idea to reality, that idea has to be forged into a conversation beyond just possibility. That involves people in a room, experiencing endless writing and re-writing on long whiteboards, interactive questioning that extracts thoughts, ideas, and rationale, and sharing and documenting everything live and in person.
That would never have happened if we were all staring at a screen while secretly watching our cat play in the next room.
If you want to create the spark that leads to a path of innovation and change, it still starts with the human factor. Humans crave social interaction and engagement. We are designed that way. AI can never purely deliver that no matter how advanced.
Challenging ourselves, learning from our mistakes, and taking pride in contributions and success is accelerated and enhanced by personal interaction and engagement. It sparks brilliance that can lead to innovation that can change the world.
Related: See the message from Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon.
– David Saalfrank is Chief Evangelist at Network of Giving
