I am still skeptical that more tools alone will improve the way we collaborate and coordinate as teams.

The reason I am still skeptical is because we are removing opportunities to transfer knowledge and build relationships. Instagram and social media do the same thing. When you watch the update your friend broadcasted, that removes a chance to ask your friend: hey what’s up? Anything exciting you’ve done lately? Would love to hear.

Clothes hanging from a wooden cross in an alpine meadow, with mountains behind them
French Alps near Briançon. June 2023. © Vicente Reig Rincón de Arellano. Shot on Kodak Ektar 100.

Anthropic published in their state of employment post something interesting: people are talking to each other more. Makes me wonder whether we want to delegate that to agents too, especially when Anthropic hasn’t figured out teamwork yet. Or a least, I am not satisfied with how agents support teamwork yet. 🙂

“But even among employees in technical individual contributor roles, meeting time is up 16% over the past year.”
Anthropic — How employment is changing at Anthropic

I think this is the first time in a long time that I am excited to see “IC folks” and “more meetings” in the same sentence! Maybe the answer is right in front of us and we should just talk to our teammates more.

If any of this sounds familiar and you’d like to work together, send me a message. I’d love to hear what you and your team are up to.