Want to enable serendipitous innovation for remote teams? Do these 6 things
Do companies with virtual workforces lose something when it comes to innovation? Do we need those informal workplace encounters or gatherings to spur more creative and innovative thinking and discussions? Or does virtual work open up new avenues for innovation that extend beyond the confines of office walls?
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Those are the questions that continue to hang over us as we emerge from the great Covid-mandated remote experiment of the early 2020s. In recent months, some large organizations have demanded a full-time return to office for employees, from governments to Amazon and Apple. One of the primary underlying reasons for having people working face-to-face, their leaders have stated, is it better enables the exchange of ideas – the "serendipity" that leads to new innovation.
The case against remote work
A leading voice against remote work, JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, recently said such in-person communication is essential for collaboration. "When we meet in the morning, we talk, we have these debates, all day long we're talking," he said. "It doesn't work in our business. And for culture... it's impossible to do culture." In addition, people are often distracted by their phones during Zoom calls, he said.
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The role of serendipity as a catalyst for innovation was explored some years back in a Wall Street Journal report, which pointed out that encouraging casual face-to-face chats among people with different skills "might spark new ideas, lead to new solutions or at the least, increase workplace camaraderie."
A study more recently published in Nature concluded that scientific researchers in remote teams "are consistently less likely to make breakthrough discoveries relative to their on-site counterparts. Despite striking improvements in digital technology in recent years, remote teams are less likely to integrate the knowledge of their members to produce new, disruptive ideas."
Is this the case with virtual companies or companies with virtual employees? Is serendipity lost? Does a lack of in-person contact put a damper on innovation? Executives interviewed for this article -- both with virtual and semi-virtual companies -- don't think so. They believe that just as much innovation can spring from virtual collaboration as from in-person contact. But it takes special attention from leaders and managers to enable this.
Innovation is about more than chance encounters
"Do we think innovation is happening because we are bumping into each other in the hallways or at the coffee pot?" asked Clark Lowe, president and CEO of the O'Connor Company. "Ideas are simply seeds that are planted [and] then slowly grown."
At the same time, with employees spread across different regions and even countries, "managers face new challenges in maintaining a cohesive company culture, encouraging spontaneous collaboration and keeping teams engaged," said Mei-joy Foster, vice president of talent management for Blackhawk Network. "Disengaged employees will negatively impact a company's bottom line and are more likely to leave when the job market shifts to favor employees."
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For many, there is little debate that virtual work arrangements still can prompt innovation. "When working remotely, employees don't necessarily lose opportunity for idea sharing and creation," said Becky Cantieri, chief people officer for SurveyMonkey. "It's up to us to bring intentionality to what was once serendipitous. The opportunity may look different, but it's still there, and may even foster more creativity and innovation because it's not as simple to create."
Enabling serendipity in virtual teams "requires a focus on the human in the loop. This can come about in the simplest ways," said Kim Minor, chief marketing officer at Emapta. "I've heard our founder say, 'I don't care where you are in the world, if you're walking in a park, walking your dog, sitting outside on a beautiful day' -- we want to support employee well-being while still collaborating. That freedom leads to better thinking, deeper commitment, and innovation."
When remote work works better
For some entrepreneurs, remote work stirs even greater creativity than at on-site workplaces. "We've been majorly working in remote settings, even before Covid, in both of my companies," said Kaveh Vahdat, founder and president at RiseAngle, a game and video generation producer, and RiseOpp, a marketing company. "I have found teams working in remote settings to be much more creative if the setup is right."
This setup includes providing "access to tools while you're having meetings," Vahdat explained. "In an in-person meeting, you can't pull out your laptop and check ChatGPT or search for something while the meeting is happening and others are talking, or at least not efficiently. Virtual settings allow that."
Another advantage is that remote work enables "a more flexible, calm, and friendly environment," Vahdat added. "Virtual settings allow people to work from the comfort of their home. They are much more friendly to introverted people, who are in many cases more creative, and they create a less aggressive setup."
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At Emapta, an outsourcing provider, the workplace is built around a "virtual-first" culture, said Minor. "We believe that a virtual team can bring the same level or more of business outcomes as working face-to-face. As a leader in a remote-first organization, I have experienced the benefits of a virtual workplace. We can be more inclusive and build more diverse teams, bringing together people from different cultures, mindsets and skill sets that are otherwise limited in an in-person, set geographical setting. Diversity in the workplace fuels innovation."
Another factor is that "virtual settings encourage a more to-the-point and on-topic approach, while physical settings encourage more chit-chat, relationship building, gossip, and going on tangents," said Vahdat. "While these qualities are perfect for some positions, such as sales teams in an organization that are mainly dominated by extroverted people, they are not great for other teams, such as UX design, which need more creativity and are less dominated by extroverts."
Get these six things right
Industry leaders and entrepreneurs offer the following advice for spurring innovation -- and serendipity -- in virtual settings. You may recognize some of this advice as basic people management tenets, illustrating that it doesn't really matter if an employee is in the next cubicle or halfway around the world:
Lead, don't constrain. "The key to this is removal of constraints. Innovation and control are in conflict with each other -- and many leaders continue to assert management of people," said Lowe. "In order to succeed and find nooks of innovation and serendipity, we must learn to manage processes and lead people -- not conflating the two. Processes are the frameworks in which we operate -- and leadership engages the human element."
Innovation and creation "are largely driven by the human element of micro-moments," Lowe continued. "These moments cannot be manufactured -- rather happen through the course of natural human interaction and collaboration. Leadership drives innovation and creation, and must learn how to engage with employees that are in remote settings."
Treat virtual and on-site workers as equals, especially with information sharing: "Real-time data is becoming increasingly critical in delivering cross-departmental AI integration," said Guillaume Aymé, CEO of Lenses.io. "A shift to data being shared both internally and externally can help replicate the spontaneous exchange of ideas."
Foster greater recognition: "It's important that companies understand that investing in consistent employee recognition isn't just about making employees feel good," said Foster. "Our research shows that 40% of employees say that more frequent recognition would increase their loyalty, so it's clear that appreciation isn't optional. When employees know they're valued, they're more motivated to contribute, collaborate and share ideas – creating a ripple effect of improved performance and a stronger, more loyal workforce no matter their work arrangement."
Encourage both sight and sound: When it comes to settings, "there are specific rules that should be applied to virtual environments for creativity to flourish," said Vahdat. "One of the must-haves is that, unless there are very specific emergency conditions, people should attend meetings with their video camera on and not just voice. I have found this one principle to be core to both creativity and team member commitment."
Have a robust tech stack: "We use a robust tech stack -- Zoom, MS Teams, MIRO for virtual whiteboarding, Asana for project management and feedback loops, Notion for project and sales planning, Google Workplace, MS 365, and Dropbox Business -- to support team collaboration," said Minor. "Open communication plays a role as well in helping break down the hierarchical bureaucracy. In the virtual world, the company structure becomes flat; the old-school hierarchy goes away, and this keeps momentum and innovation moving."
"Several tools facilitate employee communication and collaboration for remote workers, such as digital platforms like instant messaging apps and video conferencing tools," said Cantieri. "Centralized communication platforms like Slack can help boost collaboration, offering direct messages for private or urgent issues, team channels to consolidate action items, and public channels for more general knowledge sharing. In many ways, remote work has helped boost productivity and innovation by giving people more uninterrupted time to focus."
Still, Lowe said, "all of the tools exist to support this process -- technology doesn't have any more widgets or applications to offer to further support the process. As leaders, we must recognize and accept the most important component of this change is the human one. Those leaders who are mailable and able to adapt will continue to soar as we see remote work blend more into our workplaces and society."
Continuously solicit feedback. "Surveys are a great way to illuminate employee concerns and insights while providing an anonymous outlet for communication," said Cantieri. "Offering safe spaces for dialogue is also key. For example, informal, small-group conversations on Slack offer employees the opportunity to share their feedback in a safe, judgment-free space. This type of intentionally designed environment can help build trust and give employees the confidence to speak candidly."
While there has been pushback against virtual work, such arrangements are the future for many businesses, especially startups and digital-native organizations. The tools and platforms are robust and available, it's now a matter of forward-looking and engaged management to bring it forward.