Resist Isolation

When’s the last time that someone said, “Excuse me… I’m so sorry for interrupting, but I couldn’t help but overhear you saying…” and proceeded to make an unexpected contribution to your work?

Yeah, me too.

Overheard conversations are immensely valuable in sparking serendipity — both in our own work, and in others’ — but sadly, virtual environments are utterly devoid of unintended communications (besides mute fails!).

Serendipitous connections have driven the designs of countless environments, from Pixar to Bell Labs. When George Salah, Google’s longtime director of facilities, was planning Google’s move into Silicon Graphics’ campus in Mountain View, he said, “We want to pack those buildings, not just because it minimizes our footprint but because of the interactions you get, just accidental stuff you overhear.”

In his fantastic Yes, And, Kelly Leonard recounts how one of the most successful productions in Second City’s history was the byproduct of eavesdropping. “It was at the Second City holiday party that a few of us, including Kelly, remarked on how theatrical (the Rod Blagojevich) scandal was becoming. Offhandedly, Kelly said, ‘We should make a rock opera of the whole thing,’ which caught the ear of writer/performers Ed Furman and TJ Shanoff, who were in conversation nearby. A few minutes later, Ed and TJ approached Kelly. ‘We figured out your rock opera,’ TJ offered. Then added, ‘It’s called Rod Blagojevich Superstar.”

As work begins to return to normal, I’m hoping I resist the urge to be shuttered away, insulating myself from unexpected inputs. Instead, I’d like to welcome all that will serendipitously arrive if only my collaborators are bold enough to listen in, and contribute to, the discussions they’ve been missing online.

Related: Space for Spontaneous Meetings

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