The pandemic shattered many assumptions about how we can work and be productive. Leaders’ fears about the effectiveness of working from home were, in most cases, proven unfounded. Today, the new flexible (or even fully remote) working culture many of us enjoy means we’re more productive than ever. We rattle through tasks and attend short, sharp video calls.
But as a leader heading up a remote working team, is the lustre of productivity and the fading memory of the commute hiding what’s been lost? Rather than uniformly celebrating the minutes and hours saved by not commuting, chatting in the corridor or around the fringes of meetings, we need to be aware of the value of that ‘wasted’ time.
A little more conversation
Too much conversation for ‘action’, tightly focused on agenda points or action lists, squeezes out critical conversations for possibility. If time and latitude are not given to freeform exploratory conversations, then we could well be creating a curiosity deficit that will harm growth and innovation down the line.
We can all think of instances when a brief conversation, grabbed in a lobby or as meeting guests assemble, has sparked and idea, kindled curiosity and led to an entirely new direction. It takes many sparks to light the fires of innovation that drive transformation.
Smooth, productive, online meetings lack the rough edges where enough of those sparks can be struck. As participants log seamlessly in and out, they miss the casual banter and off-topic chat that nurtures curiosity. Dead space between remote meetings is now more often than not only snippets of time, enough time to clear a few emails.
This might well be wonderfully productive, but we’ve lost transition time. Commutes, international travel, popping out to buy lunch, moving between meeting rooms on office campuses are all great opportunities to think, randomly chat or reach out to people. Without those, we don't just lose an opportunity for sparks of innovation, there is also less chance for people to discuss concerns or issues, and crowdsource solutions in a way that builds psychological safety.
Create some sparks
For leaders heading up teams with a high proportion of remote workers, it’s essential to model and encourage these conversations for possibility.
It’s hard, and the natural inclination may be to forge on, instil action-orientated cultures and deliver results – all of which is important. But it’s also important to recognise that new ideas, possibilities and breakthroughs all start in conversations that need time and space to grow.
It’s important to create not only the time to think, but the spaces in which conversations for possibility can spark. Now, it’s almost impossible to schedule time to be creative, or to arrange meetings to be innovative, the human brain just does not work like that. But leaders need to dial into the needs of teams and understand where individuals derive their energy and inspiration.
For some, it could be as simple as allowing ‘off-agenda’ chat to develop at times during meetings, or deliberately adding some extra time at the start of end of a meeting. ‘Pointless’ meetings with no agenda can serve to create platforms for teams to share thoughts or ideas naturally. Others may welcome permission to spend time ‘off-task’, simply thinking and tapping into inner sources of energy and creativity.
Three steps for leaders
At a minimum, leaders should consider three approaches to cultivating conversations for possibility in online meetings:
1. Create a culture where your teams can schedule time for themselves to think. Make sure they recognise that you value the time they spend outside of meetings and delivering actions.
2. Include time for conversation in all meetings and build a culture where people feel able to bring up issues or concerns. Don’t guillotine conversations for possibility by rigidly sticking to action items and agendas.
3. Schedule the occasional ‘pointless meeting’ with no agenda and encourage people to share thoughts, ideas and even (appropriate) gossip. It is from these casual encounters that some of the best ideas arise. One team we work with calls these ‘What Space’ meetings. They have been really effective in enabling the team to raise uncomfortable conversations and unpredictable topics.
Most importantly, leaders need to be conscious of the ideas they build and reinforce in people’s heads. If teams perceive that meetings are only for agenda and action-orientated conversation, they will close down their own curiosity and interest in thinking beyond the business as usual. This will lead not only to innovation deficits but to erosion of morale and commitment to wider visions.
Use tech consciously
Finally, a sensitivity to the limitations of technology is also required. Today’s video call and meeting technologies have made remote working a far more effective proposition. But many find it harder to interject than they would in real-life engagements, and meetings can easily become broadcasts or bilateral conversations.
It can be harder for ideas to bounce between people as they do in vibrant real-world meetings. Leaders need to take more care than ever to fully include and encourage participation from everyone.
The likelihood is that the teams you lead spend time working from home, the office, the commute and beyond. But wherever they’re working, leaders shouldn’t underestimate the value of the pointless meeting, whether virtual or in-person, in fostering conversations for possibility that may drive the next wave of innovation and growth in your organisation.