Without coffee, I’m not much to speak of in the morning. Many people probably feel the same way. It’s purely a matter of habit—and not the healthiest one—but I like to live with that thought. And so, with my coffee.

I make the best cappuccino at home. So ever since I started working from home because of the pandemic, there’s nothing to complain about when it comes to the quality of my daily coffee. But the coffee ritual itself is another story. Laptop open in Teams or Zoom, a friendly smile on camera—and yet I still feel like something’s missing.

Better Than Just Good Coffee

The longer we work from home digitally, the more we realize what we’re missing. We miss the coffee machine. Not so much the coffee itself, but rather the ritual. A bit of small talk, a joke or a laugh, coordinating for the upcoming meeting, showing interest in a client’s or colleague’s personal life… There are countless reasons to stop by the coffee corner regularly. To put it more broadly: when working remotely, we miss the hallway—which usually serves as a valuable coordination hub. The hallway is an integral part of the way we collaborate.

Without a hallway and a coffee machine, you miss out on those brief moments of alignment outside the boardroom that facilitate the process inside. These are moments of connection that help align content, relationships, and processes—and that often lead to the benefit of the doubt and goodwill. The place where formal and informal leaders meet. That’s where deals are struck, courage is mustered, tactics are discussed, candidates are screened, the boss is bypassed, the works council is truly engaged, …—the place where corny jokes are laughed off and the notorious opponent is mocked.

The hallway is the “free zone” alongside the formal theater—if you dare. The absence of all this means that, during the pandemic, we’ve had to rely too heavily on only the “formal” forms of consultation. And that’s a hindrance. Take Strategy Execution, for example; movement doesn’t happen while sitting down.

Senses

Digital meetings are primarily functional and factual. And that works pretty well in some areas. No sweat for discussions where organization, information sharing, arguments, and spreadsheets are the dominant activities. Basically, anything with a maximum of two dimensions. But when creativity, more complex decision-making, intuition, and the like are needed to move forward, we miss each other. When eye contact and body language are needed to interpret the rational flow of words, the screen simply can’t compete.

At the same time, lectures in higher education are currently limited to transferable knowledge, formulas, and texts. That’s fine for the basics, but students truly learn through exchange, debate, and creation. Opinions are formed through dialogue at the intersection of what you believe to be right and what others believe to be right. Just like in the sports cafeteria. Or the bar.

So what now?

Waiting for the digital corridor? No, of course not. The pandemic will pass. Hybrid work models are here to stay. Careful, tailored planning regarding how we structure our work is essential. In the meantime—and afterward—you’re welcome to come over to my place for the best cappuccino!