Small world, water coolers, and the challenge of remote collaboration

Ah, the water cooler. No other element of the office environment conjures up such visions of camaraderie and congeniality as does the water cooler (or its equivalent; when I worked in Italy, we chatted by---of course---the espresso machine). Often a centerpiece of cartoons and anecdotes, the water cooler has come to symbolize the social glue that holds our professional interactions together and helps the collaborative culture function. Around it we may temporarily drop the subject at hand and get to know one another as human beings.

So how do we feel when a professional collaborative environment has no water cooler to facilitate the culture? What do we do? How do we develop relationships and come to trust our colleagues? Lada Gorlenko explores her reactions and what she decided to do about it, and urges us to accept the challenge for ourselves.

---Elizabeth Buie