I don't think anything is lost at all. Organizational habits are important here: if you don't have a good set of communication tools and people who know how to

I don't think anything is lost at all. Organizational habits are important here: if you don't have a good set of communication tools and people who know how to use them, you may very well think that you're missing something. Hallways conversations—at least in my own experience—rarely or never amount to much. But if I do get a sudden brainstorm, and I can jump onto a quick google hangout or otherwise run it by someone, then I haven't lost anything. Physical presence is a distraction; good communication is what's important.