Communications of the ACM
Tech's Million Dollar Question: Does Remote Work Kill Innovation?
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The coronavirus outbreak has led to a new reality of remote work with more communication by video, email, and chat. To what extent the technology industry will return to the office remains unknown. People say that remote work means office-rental costs can be saved, commuting can be cut, and employees and employers can have the freedom to work and recruit from virtually anywhere.
Still, some in the tech industry say that remote work can make innovation very, very hard.
"Fast feedback is what we're all about," says software engineer and entrepreneur Joyce Park. "That's what's gone away."
In an office, a tech worker can collar a colleague or two, sketch out an idea on a whiteboard, get input, explore new possibilities, and possibly contribute something of value. "If you have a dumb idea or people hate your idea then you don't have to spend more time fleshing it out, and that means you don't have to spend more time defending it," Park says. "When you're trying to do really innovative work, it takes so many meetings. Zoom meetings are different than normal meetings because they're much more performative. Most engineers aren't really in the putting-on-a-show business."
Park also worries about young tech workers, who represent the future of innovation and aren't in offices absorbing knowledge. "Who's going to mentor them, who's going to make them successful?" she asks. "A lot of the craft is just seeing problems and seeing how they were successfully or unsuccessfully solved."
From The Mercury News
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