Why we need to get back to the office
You’re on mute…sorry — lost connection…wifi is not good today…I can’t hear you…can you hear me? can you see my screen?… your camera is off…I’m hearing an echo…
Friction-free teamwork can be challenging in the same physical space; doing it digitally (or “virtually”) brings a whole new set of challenges.
Although we do our best to function with a Zoom, Teams or Google etc., we do so with a brain that is, at least in part, programmed for Stone Age survival.
We are programmed through our evolution as a species to value connection, empathy, trust and loyalty. Ten thousand years ago we trusted the members of our tribe: a small band with whom we had close personal contact. The tribe survived through sharing warmth, food, water, security and emotional comfort.
We may have taken ourselves out of the Stone Age, but we haven’t taken the Stone Age out of ourselves*.
We push ourselves to the digital edge of what we can handle, and there are times when we lose control and things go astray.
How about trying to read body language when all you can see is head and shoulders? Or worse, when the camera is turned off. Making hiring or career-changing decisions without meeting physically? Or the lack of real-time feedback when presenting to an audience on mute.
There is a popular view that 70% (or more) of communication is non-verbal. Body language speaks volumes, as it were. Face-to-face communication is a vital part of empathy and reading the other’s intent — especially when nothing is actually being said.
Much communication in an organization is accidental — at the coffee corner, the water-cooler, over lunch or in the conference room before the meeting starts. These chats are part of a bonding process to build relationships, trust and loyalty.
Teamwork needs to be physical, personal and up-close — at least once in a while. We are tribal beings and we need to connect with our tribe from time to time around the camp fire.
- You may also like Why Attitude Matters or Why People Work or Energy Flows Where Attention Goes
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- I’ve blogged on this theme before — about our Stone Age brain and why we need to travel and meet in person.
- More on evolutionary psychology here.
- *Source: evolutionary psychologist Nigel Nicholson
