Respond separately to the discussion posts below:

Post 1 Building a Human Network

Working in a hospital, I have never heard of the open office concept. In my department, we have one big workstation for all the technologists. This is where the department phone calls come in, multiple computer stations, and our whiteboard that has everyone's daily assignments. When I think about it, this is very similar to open office concept. Administration has their own space and their own separate offices. Working in administration, all our meetings are on zoom. When I meet with my staff, I conduct in person meetings. I feel that face-to-face interactions are more personable. I also find that I get more engagement from the staff if the meeting is in person. We all have webcams and at almost every meeting I am in, I see others typing, texting, or taking other phone calls. I might be one of the only ones, but I do miss in-person meetings.

I found this article about open office concepts and connections quite interesting. "Even in open spaces with colleagues in close proximity, people who want to eschew interactions have an amazing capacity to do so. They avoid eye contact, discover an immediate need to use the bathroom or take a walk, or become so engrossed in their tasks that they are selectively deaf (perhaps with the help of headphones). Ironically, the proliferation of ways to interact makes it easier not to respond: For example, workers can simply ignore a digital message. When employees do want to interact, they choose the channel: face-to-face, video conference, phone, social media, email, messaging, and so on. Someone initiating an exchange decides how long it should last and whether it should be synchronous (a meeting or a huddle) or asynchronous (a message or a post). The recipient of, say, an email, a Slack message, or a text decides whether to respond immediately, down the road, or never. These individual behaviors together make up an anatomy of collaboration similar to an anthill or a beehive. It is generated organically as people work and is shaped by the beliefs, assumptions, values, and ways of thinking that define the organization's culture" (Bernstein, 2021).

There are many aspects of technology that make my job easier. Having the capability to have zoom meetings during the COVID-19 helped keep everyone safe. Zoom meetings are sometimes necessary because not everyone is working on-site. In the video Maya Leibman brings up the value of face-to-face interactions and human connections. I think we need to make sure that technology take that away from us, in both our personal and professional lives.

Bernstein, E. (2021, September 2). The truth about open offices. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2019/11/the-truth-about-open-officesLinks to an external site.

Post 2 ostering innovation is to embody new ways of doing things, thinking differently, and generating solutions that can lead to future change. Sometimes the best ideas come from individuals using a system or being connected to one. They get a firsthand account for a better or new way of doing things and it is wise from an organizational standpoint to gain this feedback. My current organization has an Innovation department and values having employees bring forward ideas for change. Employees can submit ideas on the portal. Recently, a former therapy co-worker of mine was given an innovation award. She helped develop a "smart room that would empower patients to use voice activated tools to independently control comfort settings in their rooms which increases patient experience and employee efficiency" ( https://newsroom.osfhealthcare.org/osf-healthcare-innovator-of-the-year-is-championing-smart-hospital-rooms/Links to an external site.) . Katie by background treats a lot of stroke patients that often do not have good use of their dominant upper extremities, so she was being innovative in finding ways for patients rather than using a traditional call bell. Using a call bell is a real issue in a lot of neurological populations. She has always been a wonderful patient advocate, and proud of her innovation.