The Upside of "Office Buzz"
Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D.

If you put a microphone in every hallway, stairwell and coffee station in your organization, what would you overhear?

Well, according to a variety of studies, the breakdown would look something like this:

Gossip (14%). People talk about office intrigue: Who's sleeping with whom? Did so-and-so really quit "to pursue other options" or was he fired? How did that jerk get promoted? Who does the boss currently loathe or love?

They also compare childcare facilities, restaurants, television programs and sporting events. And in doing so they bond and build relationships that will become the foundation for trust and knowledge sharing. But all of this is only a fraction of what's being discussed when employees get together.

Business (86%). Most of the conversations in your organization have a work-related focus: Who's reliable - trustworthy - informed? How am I supposed to behave in this situation? Have you ever dealt with this customer - problem - manager before? What does it take to succeed in this culture?

People share information about their projects, collaborate to develop innovative products and services, and have real-world discussions about "how things get done around here."

And that's how "office buzz" becomes money in the bank for an enterprise.

An organization's cumulative knowledge is contained in the heads of individuals and disseminated through the information and stories they exchange within the networks they access. People learn more from comparing experiences in the hallways than from reading the company's official manuals, going online to a knowledge repository, or attending training classes. And, as a result of these informal conversations, the organization builds its worth.

Which is not to deny the importance of classes, databases and books, but only to point out the (often overlooked) value of simply getting people together and encouraging them to talk.

Xerox Corporation learned this lesson when it was looking for a way to boost the productivity of its field service staff. A cultural anthropologist traveled with a group of tech reps to observe how they actually did their jobs - as opposed to how they described what they did, or what their managers assumed they did. The anthropologist discovered that the reps spent more time with each other than with customers. They'd gather in common areas like the local parts warehouse or around the coffee pot and swap stories from the field. And it was here that the reps asked each other questions, identified problems, and shared new solutions as they devised them.

Impressed by the potential of these employee gatherings, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) added a technological element, and wired the coffeepot to computer monitors. Any time that someone brewed a fresh pot of coffee, an icon flashed on employees' screens. People would come out of their offices from various parts of the building for a cup, and they would collect in front of the coffeepot. As the ensuing conversations became more complex, PARC installed huge white boards around the coffee area, so that people could draw diagrams and write out key points. This, in turn, allowed others who were in the area to see where the discussion was heading, and to also join in.

To encourage employees to linger and chat with one another, some companies have designed wide stairwells with large landings, many organizations have created attractive employee "commons" areas, and meeting planners have been asked to designate more time for informal interaction at business conferences.

Did you ever think you'd see the day? In a complete reversal from the old "stop wasting time - and get back to work" mentality, the most progressive companies today are helping employees find ways to stop "working" and start talking!

Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D. is an international speaker and the author of nine books, including "This Isn't the Company I Joined" - How to Lead in a Business Turned Upside Down and Ghost Story: A Modern Business Fable, about the power of collaboration and knowledge sharing. She can be reached at through her website: www.CKG.com, by email: cgoman@CKG.com, or by phone: 510-526-1727.