"Video communication narrows creative thinking. A study in which over 1,400 participants were examined across laboratory and field experiments found that videoconferencing significantly reduced the number of creative ideas generated compared with in-person collaboration. The researchers identified a cognitive effect as the cause: Virtual communicators focus their visual attention on screens, which constrains their peripheral awareness and cognitive scope, leading to fewer creative ideas."
"Based on these findings, managers should consider scheduling in-person meetings for brainstorming or use in-person meetings for creative collaboration. When such sessions are virtual, audio-only calls may yield better ideas than videoconferencing. 2. Remote work can hamper network formation. An analysis of 61,182 Microsoft employees' network connections over the first six months of 2020 revealed that the pandemic-induced switch to remote work caused collaboration networks to become more siloed. Employees cultivated fewer weak ties, which often spark innovation."
Hybrid work offers flexibility, cost savings, and a more diverse workforce but creates distinct innovation challenges. Videoconferencing narrows creative thinking by focusing visual attention on screens, which constrains peripheral awareness and cognitive scope and reduces idea generation. Audio-only virtual sessions can yield better creative outcomes than video for brainstorming. Remote work can make collaboration networks more siloed and reduce the formation of weak ties that often spark innovation. Managers should schedule in-person meetings for brainstorming, design cross-functional interactions to rebuild networks, and intentionally match in-person or virtual modes to specific innovation phases.
Read at MIT Sloan Management Review
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