synch ==> spectators

Author: MarkBruns

_posts/2023-08-09-toward-a-theory-of-quantum-communication.md

@@ -9,9 +9,13 @@ categories: LEAN
 
 # Knowledge work is ASYNCHRONOUS communication
 
-PRODUCTIVE work, ie where hard stuff actually gets done, or the bulk of progress in knowledge work is predominantly ASYNCHRONOUS -- but it is also necessary to synch up, to maintain focus, to occasionally have meaningful synchronous meetings. The problem with synchronous meetings is that schedules are cleared and left open while people wait for their part of meeting to happen -- a lot of time is wasted and effort expended to synch up, to actually get people together at a particular time.
+PRODUCTIVE work, ie where hard stuff actually gets done, or the bulk of progress in knowledge work is predominantly ASYNCHRONOUS.
 
-In physical work, synch matters more.  It IS easier for a group to lift a large object together and Henry Ford's Model T line needed to have bodies on the line to build cars, but in the realm of knowledge work it is NOT easier to have a meeting room full of yesmen leaning in to seek facetime with the boss to *lift* a big idea ... the bossman's idea gets *lifted* but other ideas stay put.  The fact of meetings is that it's too likely that the room is packed with not exactly the right people ... the truly *right* people are scattered around the globe, not just in different time zones but with different priorities and very different sleep/work/family/play schedules.  When the *right* people are not allowed to have lives, they can be ridiculously productive for a while, but they cheat themselves and tend to burn out.
+Of course, it is also necessary to synch up, to maintain focus, to occasionally have meaningful synchronous meetings. The problem with synchronous meetings is that schedules are cleared and left open while people wait for their part of meeting to happen -- a lot of time is wasted and effort expended to synch up, to actually get people together at a particular time -- so, occasionally, we might really NEED to synch up but we should not overuse is.
+
+In physical work, synch matters a lot -- it can be almost impossible for work with a physical component to be completed unless at least the key people are there, engaged and woring on it together. For example, it IS easier for a group to lift a large object together and Henry Ford's Model T line needed to have bodies on the line to build cars, but in the realm of knowledge work it is NOT easier to have a meeting room full of yesmen leaning in to seek facetime with the boss to *lift* a big idea ... sure, the bossman's idea gets *lifted* and the bossman feels like a lot got accomplished, but other ideas stay put and somebody has to work on those things *after hours* or those things don't get done until they show up on the bossman's critical chain project mgmt dashboard. ***Productive emergence*** **does not happen in a culture dominated by synchronous meetings**. 
+
+The fact of synchronized meetings is that it's too likely that the room is packed with a falsely reassuring crowd of spectators or not exactly the right people to get things done ... the truly *right* people are scattered around the globe, not just in different time zones but with different priorities and very different sleep/work/family/play schedules.  When the *right* people are not allowed to have lives, they can be ridiculously productive for a while, but they cheat themselves and tend to burn out.
 
 Synch stills matters -- but it should not predominate ... synch should be reserved for the times when getting together is a necessity for focus, ie when togetherness is treated as a constant, everyday ordinary necessity, it ceases to be ... and people quiet quit, even without intentionally doing so, ie like narcolepsy in sleep-deprived truckers. Predominantly synch workflow is not human -- it can work for awhile, but it becomes like Henry Ford's Model T assembly line ... because productive knowledge workers have other choices ... even though corporate drone yesmen may not.