Disney, Apple and Google want everyone back in the office. Here’s why they’re wrong | Opinion

Disney, Apple, Google and other companies mandating that employees spend most or all of their work hours in offices claim working remotely stifles innovation.

“Innovation isn’t always a planned activity,” Apple chief executive Tim Cook told one interviewer. “It’s bumping into each other over the course of the day and advancing an idea that you just had. And you really need to be together to do that.”

Is this true? Research from McKinsey, the global management consultant firm, points to a different conclusion. Over more than two years of global pandemic, the company found a record number of new patents across 150 global patent filing authorities. Moreover, global venture capital more than doubled from 2020 to 2021, increasing 111%.

McKinsey suggests that’s because innovative companies developed new ways of connecting remote workers to build and sustain the cross-functional ties necessary for innovation, widening the pools of minds that could generate new ideas. Research from Deloitte similarly shows that adapting the innovation process to remote settings is the key to boosting innovation for teams that work remotely or on a hybrid schedule that includes office and remote work.

My experience helping 21 organizations transition to hybrid and remote work demonstrates that innovation in this context is eminently doable. But it requires adopting practices that address the lack of spontaneous interactions that breed innovation.

An excellent technique to replace innovation-breeding hallway conversations on hybrid and remote teams involves collaboration software such as Slack or Microsoft Teams. A company can set up a specific channel on the software to facilitate the creativity, spontaneity and collaboration that fuel serendipitous innovation and then incentivize employees to use the channel.

In the case of a late-stage software startup that used Microsoft Teams, for example, groups of six to eight people set up a team-specific channel for members to share innovative ideas relevant to their work. Likewise, larger business units established channels for ideas applicable to a whole unit. Anyone who had an idea was encouraged to share it on the pertinent channel.

We encouraged everyone to pay attention to notifications in that channel. If they found a new post relevant, they would respond with additional thoughts and build on the idea. Responses would snowball, and good ideas would lead to brainstorming sessions and other next steps.

This approach combines a native virtual format with people’s natural motivation to contribute, collaborate and get credit. The initial poster and subsequent contributors aren’t motivated simply to advance the team or business unit, even though that is of course one of their goals. The initial poster is motivated by the possibility of sharing an idea that might be recognized as sufficiently innovative, practical and useful to implement. The contributors, in turn, are motivated by the natural desire to give advice that’s visible to and useful for others within their team, unit or organization.

Six months after the intervention, the software company reported a boost in innovation across the board, with the channels devoted to innovation breeding a number of novel projects.

If a startup with 400 employees could adopt these techniques, so can Apple and Google. Unfortunately, however, companies like Apple and Google have adopted a traditionalist perspective about innovation that ironically hinders that process.

The future belongs to companies that can make the best use of human resources around the globe while minimizing time wasted in rush-hour commutes. Doing so requires adopting new and proven practices suited to hybrid and remote work instead of remaining stuck in the past.