>I was a manager for a long time, and quickly realized that "team overhead" was the true enemy of productivity. This includes things like Slack convos, and wate

>I was a manager for a long time, and quickly realized that "team overhead" was the true enemy of productivity. This includes things like Slack convos, and water-cooler chats. An enemy to the productivity that you observed and measured. If you removed these Slack convos and water-cooler chats then you may find an increase in the productivity you measured but a drop in the actual value provided. Why am I saying that is the case? Because, water cooler-chats and Slack conversations have an effect of disseminating information throughout an organization. Someone in team A may realize that they're working on a problem similar to a person in team B. While this may not be an issue in smaller companies as a company grows it becomes more and more common that team silos start to arise. Overlap in work to be completed also becomes more common as the "start-up solve it ourselves" mentality is applied by each team instead of organizationally. Second, if you don't have a rapport with your co-workers (fostered through Slack conversations and water-cooler chats) then you're going to have a harder time communicating with them. Why? Because everyone communicates in different ways. Being able to understand a persons communication style and emotional state comes through understanding the person. The article calls this out, "I love collaboration, whiteboard sessions, small brainstorms, midday team coffees, and happy hour drinks. These things build community, make the work better, and are defintely needed. "