Friday Faves - What We're Reading This Week - Ripple Effect Group

Friday Faves is our weekly blog series highlighting a few select pieces from the REG team’s reading lists. You can catch up on past Friday Faves on the archive.

People Who Text While Walking Actually Do Ruin Everything

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Anne Says: What do you do when someone is walking towards you, on the footpath, texting or engrossed in something on their phone? You may well do the Smartphone Six-Step – according to this week’s article. The movement of people, the flow, on pavements has been studied by urban designers and most of our cities pavements are based on a safety approach, not from fellow pedestrians but predominantly from cars. However, this study has deliberately investigated what happens when the flow is impacted by people using their phones.

It’s fascinating. Watch the short video clip in the article to get an aerial perspective on how the flow can be completely disrupted. It’s fascinating how we use our peripheral awareness and split-second assumptions about what someone we’re walking towards will do. Until they focus on their phone. Then it’s game over. The whole pattern of flow is thrown array.

One of the interesting findings was the collective behaviour of pedestrians – even though you may be unaware of it. While the author points out that the research was studied in Japan and culturally their behaviour may be different to other countries or cultures. Somehow I’m not so sure it would be that different.

So next time you’re walking along a busy pavement (which for some of us in lockdown situations may still seem like a dream), and you reach for your phone – just remember, you’re about to impact the collective flow of everyone around you!!

Read: https://www.wired.com/story/people-who-text-while-walking-actually-do-ruin-everything/

Using art to reignite your team’s motivation

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Jakkii says: The title of this piece captured my attention immediately, as someone who’s had their struggles with motivation during covid and who appreciates art. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, though – were they suggesting looking at artworks to feel reinspired? That didn’t seem all that effective to me. As it turns out, they had something else in mind:

As remote working drags on for many, it may be time to re-energize employees who are feeling bored or uninspired. Techniques from five artistic disciplines can propel your team’s creative thinking and break up the monotony of remote working.

Sounds great! I particularly appreciate the idea of looking to different artistic disciplines for inspiration and techniques to spark creativity and, hopefully, motivate and re-energise.

The suggestions are:

Paint new perspectives through visual arts
Visualizing and drawing outcomes to business problems can help you separate what’s important from the details
Entertain, energize, and escape in theatrics
Taking inspiration from improv helps you see problems from new perspectives
Create harmony through WFH dance
Moving around physically releases endorphins and helps you feel relaxed
Use poetry to merge creativity and content
Poetry helps you access different parts of your brain
Jam through new concepts and connections with music
Music can help you connect with others

Now, not each of these might be something you’re prepared to do with your team – I have to be honest and say I can already imagine many not being prepared to go down the route of “WFH dance parties” over Zoom. But then again, maybe it’s worth a try, particularly for those who are either in or have been experiencing long periods of lockdowns and where tight restrictions remain in place. Who knows! But I don’t think the point of these things is you must do all of them, or even that you must do it exactly as suggested. Just pick a discipline or idea that resonates and give it a try! I’d love to hear what you tried and how it goes if you do – let me know in the comments or on social media.

These techniques aren’t just fun for fun’s sake — they allow employees to channel thoughts and pent-up emotions into something constructive.

Read: https://hbr.org/2021/03/use-art-to-reignite-your-teams-motivation

Friday Fives

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Hybrid workplace

Remote work

Communication, engagement, and culture

Community management, moderation and misinformation

Privacy and data

Accessibility and inclusion

The great Australian Facebook stoush

Extras

THE SHINING remains a hugely empathetic portrait of a guy trying to get some work done with a child around

— Adam Nayman (@brofromanother) March 13, 2021