Our work is more than a source of livelihood. It shapes our identity. As the world of work and careers is changing, it needs leaders who can avoid “conversation fatigue”. In the last two decades, the profusion of social media platforms, flatter structures and constant change is creating a “collaborative overload”. Yet never before has the need for human connection been greater. The ability to make meaning and connect the dots will fast become a skill that will define successful leaders. We hope organizations will deepen their investments in building these skills. 

There are enough people who earn a living without stepping into an office. A wartime correspondent can get a Pulitzer without being in office for months. A job that can be done with no interdependencies can be done from anywhere. The gig economy is proof of that.However, deeper bonds are formed between people who cross each other several times a day. In the late 1940s, psychologists Leon Festinger and Stanley Schachter, and sociologist Kurt Back found that physical space was the key to friendship formation.In a hyperconnected world, the notion of friendship is acquiring new shades. Online friendships are being formed on social media over shared interests. Whether these friends could work together on a day-to-day basis on tasks remains to be studied.