Return to Office Strategy - Designed Serendipity
Cultivating Discovery Interactions
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In the evolving landscape of the post-pandemic workplace, organizations are increasingly demanding that employees return to the office with the hope of elevating innovation. However, there's a critical distinction between merely bringing people back to the physical workspace and intentionally fostering an environment that cultivates moments of serendipity, where many innovation discoveries happen. Before the pandemic, many organizations left these so-called, serendipitous encounters to chance, with employees occasionally stumbling upon valuable insights by pure accident. Fact is, we weren’t very good at intentionally orchestrating these encounters pre-pandemic.
Serendipity is often described as a fortunate accident that occurs when individuals stumble upon valuable insights, connections, or opportunities by chance. It's the art of discovering something valuable that unlocks some need. Serendipitous moments have played a significant role in some of history's greatest discoveries, from Alexander Fleming's accidental discovery of penicillin to George de Mestral’s invention of Velcro.
It can also occur with a seemingly chance encounter between individuals. For example, in the summer of 1995, Sergey Brin, a second-year graduate student in Stanford University's computer science department, had a chance encounter with Larry Page, an engineering major from the University of Michigan. Brin, known for his outgoing nature, had taken on the role of a campus guide for prospective first-year students. Coincidentally, Page became a part of the group led by Brin during this campus tour, marking the beginning of their journey together and the founding of Google. But, was it truly by chance?
In the modern workplace, discovery can be a game changer. It's about creating an environment where critical encounters, knowledge sharing, and innovative collaborations can flourish. However, it is not solely based on luck; it can be intentionally cultivated by organizations.
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Across Team Interactions
The emergence of discovery often unfolds as individuals engage across various teams, sharing new insights or ideas. Whether it's engineers collaborating with marketers to envision pioneering products or data analysts closely working with customer service representatives to gain a holistic grasp of consumer needs, these cross-team collaborations foster an environment where creativity and innovation naturally arise. However, just bringing people back into the office without more intentionality, isn’t enough to elevate these types of interactions.
A study by Roche, Oettl, and Catalini in 2022, based on the experiences of teams in co-working spaces, sheds light on the importance of intentional design when it comes to physical proximity. The research found that only those teams that were physically located in close proximity to other teams tended to discover from one another. To be more specific, their research suggested that teams that were co-located in the same quartile of workspace, were much more likely to adopt each other’s ideas. This implies that merely mandating that people come back to the office isn’t enough to elevate discovery.
Forging New Connections
A few years earlier, Hasan and Koning found another critical element of consideration. Their study, conducted as part of a startup bootcamp, highlighted that pre-existing connections offset the discovery benefits of physical proximity. They found that attendees who entered the bootcamp without prior connections to each other, were far more likely to discover something new when placed in proximity with one another. This make logical sense. There is a greater possibility to learn something new from someone with whom you have only recently connected. After all, it is likely that you have already learned from those with whom you frequently interact.
While both of these studies are contextual and may not uniformly apply to all circumstances, they underscore the importance of not solely mandating a return to the office and expecting discovery to flourish. Organizations need to be intentional about the physical layout of the office to foster collaboration. They also need to be purposeful in insuring the development of new relationships across different teams. In short, organizations need to experiment in cultivating discovery through creating physical proximity, forging new connections, and even experimenting with new virtual interactions.
Cultivating Discovery Interactions
In the rapidly evolving technology landscape, many organizations must discover and innovate swiftly to leverage the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to advance their strategy. Recognizing this and tapping into the power of discovery interactions is exactly what one large technology firm is doing. The network diagram below (see figure 1.) represents nearly 950 employees across seven different product and service groups. For example, the individual blue nodes are part of the applications organization, while the pink nodes are part of the machine learning group to highlight a couple. Each of these groups are highly interdependent upon one another in rapidly getting new, integrated AI solutions to their customers. As a result, their relationships with each other are very fluid in nature, and they are constantly evolving based on current projects and discovery needs.
Figure 1. Large Technology Company
As the need to accelerate on the AI landscape quickly emerged, this organization recognized the need to create a more fluid set of interactions, where different teams from various product and service groups could quickly assemble to begin new projects. To facilitate this, they created Embark Zones, where employees could physically gather in the early days of scoping out new solutions. The result was greater discovery, as previously unconnected teams partnered with each other and employees connected for the first time with others. Once these projects were scoped out and defined, engineers would go back to their local teams (often working virtually) and build out their aspect of the broader solution. This is best represented in the small green cluster of nodes just north of 6 o’clock. This team is locked into the development phase. The oscillation between discovery and development creates a fertile environment for innovation.
Through constant experimentation, this organization has been able to develop a fluid working method that flows around the mode of work at any given point. At times, they are partnering with new teams to align and discover new ideas for nascent products, while at other times they are heads down developing these solutions with great precision.
This organization benefits from what we at the Connected Commons call the Serendipity Advantage or intentional discovery. They actively create an environment that cultivates chance encounters to enable the sharing of knowledge and insights across groups. This advantage extends beyond mere chance; it facilitates intentional collaboration.
Nurturing the Serendipity Advantage
Harnessing the power of serendipity and facilitating meaningful moments within organizations is a complex endeavor that requires on-going experimentation. Here are a few elements to consider when shaping your work practices:
Physical Workspace Design: Creating a physical environment that encourages cross-team collaboration and spontaneous interactions is crucial. This involves designing offices with open spaces, common areas, and collaboration zones, where employees from different departments can come together, exchange ideas, and foster innovation. Ensuring that teams requiring close collaboration are situated near each other enhances the chances of serendipitous discoveries.
Cross-Discipline Teams: Emphasizing the formation of cross-discipline teams allows organizations to tap into the diverse skills and perspectives of their employees. These interdisciplinary teams can tackle complex projects that benefit from a wide range of expertise, increasing the likelihood of serendipitous breakthroughs.
Forging New Connections: Building new connections within the organization is essential for cultivating serendipity. Encouraging teams to participate in cross-team events, attend new seminars, and engage in open brainstorming events can foster meaningful relationships that spark unexpected insights and discoveries.
Virtual Serendipity: In a virtual work environment, organizations should actively create opportunities for new interactions across teams. Establish virtual spaces for spontaneous conversations, similar to physical water cooler moments, where employees can exchange ideas and build connections. Regularly schedule virtual cross-functional meetings and workshops to facilitate collaboration among teams that may not naturally interact.
Experimentation and Adaptation: To succeed in cultivating discovery interactions, organizations should be open to experimentation and adaptation. Recognizing that what works in one context may not work in another, and be willing to adjust strategies based on feedback and evolving needs. A culture of continuous improvement and innovation is essential for optimizing the serendipity-building process.
By integrating these elements into their organizational culture and practices, companies can design serendipitous interactions as a powerful catalyst for discovery and innovation, whether in physical or virtual workspaces.
