Here is a video from Big Think (via Life Hacker) about interruptions. I couldn't get the embed to work, so I hope that you take a minute to link over to the video.
I don't disagree that interruptions are productivity killers, but it is a trade off. Interrupting managers are trading off productivity for something else (hopefully different and better productivity). His company's culture is at one extreme: almost zero interruptions and face-to-face interactions. I would love to ask him some questions:
- What does this imply about developing people?
- Do employees get the interactions and mentoring they need to increase their long term value creation potential?
- Is this more likely to focus employees on short term results only?
- What about the challenge process?
- Do you ever hire extroverts?
At the root of this is culture. What culture do you want your team or organization to have? What cultural attributes will make a team more productive? What do you think of this video? Do you think he's making a great case? What questions would you ask him?
Comments