Why is it difficult?
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Because low bandwidth organization around new products is difficult. We see drastic changes in efficiency when we get in the same room. Is it always required to be in the same room? Probably not, but it's harder to not be.
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So if I can reframe/rephrase your original tweet: Software engineers drastically underestimate how much easier it is to achieve organization around new products when everyone is in the same room. Does that feel right?
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Partially. Engineers think a company can just "go remote" and keep the same culture and productivity. If you want to maintain similar levels of productivity it takes a complete restructuring and rethinking of organizational behavior to make it work at all
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The impression I get is that there are organizations that do remote very well because it's built into their culture and communication patterns, but organizations that weren't built that way initially can be hard to change.
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That, and even if you start out remote coordination around building products can be difficult
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for me a big part of the difference is that at work I have a standing desk and a huge monitor but at home I work on a laptop at the dining table

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The company could just give u budget to buy a huge monitor & standing desk. ~$800, all in. Seems easy, worth it.
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Joel doesn't get paid enough to justify purchasing $800 in equipment
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Are you kidding or is he not a working software engineer?
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Hear this a lot but no one ever seems to articulate why it is true. As someone who has worked both remote and in person, I haven’t found it to be an issue
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Working through difficult problems and coordination around new ideas is much more difficult remotely because communication is lower bandwidth.
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I agree this is true, but not unsolvable. My company was started remote and remained that way right up to exit.
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Product Manager here! I worked remotely for 5+ years and know many still doing so. A distributed working org does require changes, but allows for big strengths that co-location lacks, too.https://twitter.com/BlairReeves/status/1026859093447909376 …
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Failures of “remote” arrangements are always chalked up to being “remote.” Failures of co-located model are not similarly attributed.
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@BlairReeves - would love to hear some examples -
In particular, things like: “Gee, our velocity sucks and we’re not innovative! We must have too many people working from home!” Co-located firm: “Our velocity sucks and we’re not innovative! We must not have the right people/leadership."
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Did Yahoo or IBM suddenly become more innovative, fast-executing companies when they slashed distributed teams?
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Several years remote http://work.here : - innovation is easier in person - iteration easier remote Imo the trick is the right mix
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Woah. This could be true!! Could you clarify why you say iteration is easier remote? Does it mean the same as “maintenance”?
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No it means. We agreed on doing something and we need to crunch/churn it out Reason: you can optimize your day/workflows for your own performance
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