Replacing Hallway Conversations in Remote Work Innovation (Wise Decision Maker Guide 91)

Greetings Decision maker,

Since the pandemic, there has been a rise in the concept of remote work innovation. Apple, Google, and other companies mandating that employees work in the office for most or all of their time, claim that any time spent working remotely stifles innovation.

Yet is this true? On the one hand, research at MIT found that remote work weakens the cross-functional, inter-team "weak ties" that form the basis for the exchange of new ideas that tend to foster innovation. On the other hand, McKinsey research points to a different conclusion. It found that, during the more than two years of the pandemic, there’s been a record number of new patents across 150 global patent filing authorities, and that in 2021, global venture capital more than doubled from 2020.

To learn more, check out this blog.

"Dr. Gleb was a fantastic professional speaker during our virtual meeting. His presentation and knowledge provided so much value to our chapter members and we have received a ton of positive feedback. He was well prepared and did a great job communicating and coordinating the effort. His presence was sharp and caught the interest of our members seamlessly. Dr. Gleb was very proficient in zoom and made presenting his slides alongside his video a seamless transition. Our members could hear and see him clearly, and had no problem following along with his slides simultaneously. Dr. Gleb's content was polished and easy to follow along. His questions and polls kept our members involved and engaged throughout the entire presentation. We would love to have him back to speak to our chapter again soon."

Ashlee Simmons, Director of Online Programs, Project Management Institute North Alabama Chapter

What's Up With Me

Sometimes, I just can’t help myself: I go deep down the rabbit hole of what’s happening in Ukraine right now. I’m wondering about my relatives in Kyiv and in Vinnytsia: how are they doing, what are they feeling and thinking, how are they dealing with the war? I don’t have direct channels of communication with them, updates about them come from my parents, so it’s not like I can just check in and ask: "Hey, did that recent Russian missile attack on Kyiv’s electric grid cause blackouts for you?" So I just go down the rabbit hole of reading about the Ukrainian army and its brave fight against the Russian invasion, and cross my fingers that they will triumph and my relatives will be ok. I know I won’t learn anything about my relatives per se by doing so, but I feel closer to them and to the Ukrainian struggle when reading news updates about the events there. And I feel that I can at least cheer for them internally when reading news stories about Ukrainian military successes. What about you: how do you approach learning about the Ukraine war?