I’ve been thinking about this post the last couple of days and I had an idea. I’m not sure if it directly addresses the topic, but if I don’t write it down then it’ll probably be wasted.
Idea: prior to an event like a CFAR workshop (or similar event) create teams of 5 people each. Organize by where they live and what leisure activity they enjoy. Choices are video games, movies, reading, board games, etc. In some rented space with plenty of snacks the 5 participants are asked to spend 4-8 hours in the same space. They can enjoy the leisure activity if they wish. Or, they can talk and just relax. The participants will have a chance to activate their parasympathetic nervous systems and authentically relate. The faces of the other participants will seem familiar and safe. This strengthens bonding in the larger cohort when the event begins the next day, or something.
Assumed context: Modern society puts too much focus on productivity. I have a strong bias about this because my career involves operational analysis. There are always top-down forces pushing to reduce staff by x% by increasing everybody’s productivity. This is because cost metrics are clear. We can easily measure how many widgets were produced. Value metrics are often unclear. We can’t easily measure the strength of a teams internal relationships (i.e. its social complexity). All of us are often trying to ‘do more’, and so in social settings we are often guarded. Consequently, strong social bonds are less likely to occur. This isn’t just about places of work, it’s part of our philosophy. We are all trapped in the attention economy, trying to create things that might make people notice us. (just like what I’m doing now I guess...)
I’ve been thinking about this post the last couple of days and I had an idea. I’m not sure if it directly addresses the topic, but if I don’t write it down then it’ll probably be wasted.
Idea: prior to an event like a CFAR workshop (or similar event) create teams of 5 people each. Organize by where they live and what leisure activity they enjoy. Choices are video games, movies, reading, board games, etc. In some rented space with plenty of snacks the 5 participants are asked to spend 4-8 hours in the same space. They can enjoy the leisure activity if they wish. Or, they can talk and just relax. The participants will have a chance to activate their parasympathetic nervous systems and authentically relate. The faces of the other participants will seem familiar and safe. This strengthens bonding in the larger cohort when the event begins the next day, or something.
Assumed context: Modern society puts too much focus on productivity. I have a strong bias about this because my career involves operational analysis. There are always top-down forces pushing to reduce staff by x% by increasing everybody’s productivity. This is because cost metrics are clear. We can easily measure how many widgets were produced. Value metrics are often unclear. We can’t easily measure the strength of a teams internal relationships (i.e. its social complexity). All of us are often trying to ‘do more’, and so in social settings we are often guarded. Consequently, strong social bonds are less likely to occur. This isn’t just about places of work, it’s part of our philosophy. We are all trapped in the attention economy, trying to create things that might make people notice us. (just like what I’m doing now I guess...)