Sometimes words have different meanings for folks. Your desired outcome can be a differentiator.
Back when I was a therapist, I was seeing a new client and asking him about himself. Along the way, he shared that he went to the gym every single day to work out. I was very impressed and shared that I also was an avid exercise enthusiast. We then discovered that we belonged to the same gym, and I was surprised that we had never run into each other in the weight training or cardio area. It was only then that I asked what he did at the gym. He explained that his workout consisted of time in the sauna and jacuzzi. It then became abundantly clear that we had very different ideas about “going to the gym to workout”.
What does it mean to work collaboratively? There is a lot of talk about workers getting back in the office. And one of the primary reasons often stated is so folks can work more collaboratively. Having people in the same location does not necessarily mean they will be collaborative. It just means they are doing their work in the same location. Going to the office to “collaborate” can have different meanings similar to “going to the gym to workout”!
So even though,” Location! Location! Location!” may be the mantra for real estate, it may or may not lead to collaboration back at the office. I would venture to say that many organizations discovered how little they did collaborate prior to the pandemic, and how they had to do so without a shared location. If you are “going to the office to collaborate”, you may want to explore what that means to your colleagues. Hanging out around the “water cooler” may not be enough.
As always, for great collaboration processes check out my favorite resource at www.LiberatingStructures.com
