Thursday, July 25, 2013
Want To Collaborate Better? Work In A Circle
Fast Company | Business + Innovation: Hear ye, hear ye, kings and queens: Research suggests that if you want your knights to work together, you need to sit them at a round table.
Why? It's a matter of environment, a new study from two Canadian business schools suggests: If people are sitting in a circle, they're more apt to cooperate, while if they're arranged into rows, they'll become more independent and cutthroat--more of a free-Lancelot, if you would.
"The round table approach may work to foster collaboration for corporate boards, at workplace meetings or at restaurants," Quartz reports. "By contrast, those who sit in an angular arrangement--think Donald Trump’s The Apprentice--display more maverick, self-centered attitudes."
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3 comments:
I found this post interesting,but I understand the reasoning behind it. In class when we had book discussion my English teacher made sure we always sat in a circle to discuss the content of the book. I always felt it was easier and more open to discuss when in the circle. And when I sit in at my girl scout meetings, where we all are fighting to control the meeting and decide our community service project, I always felt it was easier to slip into the background and let the rest decide. I will bring back the circle technique so we can start being more productive. I also feel like the people who produce reality tv shows like The Apprentice now this piece of information and use it to create captivating television. People love to watch conflict and fight.
I can understand this. Every year at lunch we choose to sit at one of the few round tables even though they can only seat 8 people. We do this because we can all see each other and communicate without feeling cut off and isolated. If we're in rows we're only facing one person, and then you have to turn your body to even talk to another. The orientation of a straight table is a little intimidating, too. The important people are usualy at the head of the table, and one can feel less important the farther away from the important people. Everyone is on one level at a round table and it seems to ease any potential tension caused by seating arrangements.
It is very interesting how humans pick up on such subtle changes to their environment. Just facing each other causes people to work more collaboratively even when they could reorient themselves to face each other if they wanted. In most cases fostering collaboration is great and improves the overall product, but in some cases, competition is the best stimulus for improving the product. In this case rectangular tables would be more useful. Competition and regular rewards hinder the creative process though which means rectangular tables would have negative effects on assignments that required innovation.
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