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I work for a small org, joined when it was like.. 7, now we're ~50, and fully remote. The where doesn't matter, but the when does for us. We still exploit synch

I work for a small org, joined when it was like.. 7, now we're ~50, and fully remote. The where doesn't matter, but the when does for us. We still exploit synchronous communication quite heavily. Yes i know some orgs can async everything. Some people prefer it. You could argue many cases on why async makes for a more mature interaction process, more efficient, etc. However we have not managed it. I'd say largely 50->80% of our communication is sync, and i don't see anyone advocating for changing that with us, despite having basically fully flexible hours and a global team.

dojitza1 5y ago
I agree. Async communication is hard. Humans are not equipped for this. We are limited in our focus and prioritization ability. It is the same reason calling someone on the phone gets you results and information 10x faster.
tluyben2 5y ago
Fully async is hard; I prefer it however a lot of people do not. So I adapt to the timezone of who I work with as I am usually the most flexible (no children and enough space to not disturb my wife or dogs). I overlap significantly with Asia now and in other years with the US. Works well enough to not risk too much change.
johannes1234321 5y ago
Even if most communication is async there is a part of "somewhat async" and a part of "mostly sync" communication. And then there is the social aspect of not being alone, but "seeing" that others are working as well. On the semi-async stuff: If I am stuck with a task I probably can grab a coffee and eat a snack or check mails, but I would like to get some feedback soon, while I'm in the state of mind of that task. Else I switch completely to a different task, which has effort to come back on speed on the initial task on e the feedback is there. And if there is some clarification needed, it is good if all parties focus on that topic for a while, till key questions are cleared and everybody is unblocked. Of course it is a balance.

dojitza1 5y ago

I agree. Async communication is hard. Humans are not equipped for this. We are limited in our focus and prioritization ability. It is the same reason calling someone on the phone gets you results and information 10x faster.

tluyben2 5y ago

Fully async is hard; I prefer it however a lot of people do not. So I adapt to the timezone of who I work with as I am usually the most flexible (no children and enough space to not disturb my wife or dogs). I overlap significantly with Asia now and in other years with the US. Works well enough to not risk too much change.

johannes1234321 5y ago

Even if most communication is async there is a part of "somewhat async" and a part of "mostly sync" communication. And then there is the social aspect of not being alone, but "seeing" that others are working as well. On the semi-async stuff: If I am stuck with a task I probably can grab a coffee and eat a snack or check mails, but I would like to get some feedback soon, while I'm in the state of mind of that task. Else I switch completely to a different task, which has effort to come back on speed on the initial task on e the feedback is there. And if there is some clarification needed, it is good if all parties focus on that topic for a while, till key questions are cleared and everybody is unblocked. Of course it is a balance.