Spontaneous meetings are unexpected gatherings of two or more people to discuss a specific issue or topic. They are often unplanned and can occur anywhere in the workplace, such as in the break room, by the water cooler, or in a hallway. These sessions can be very effective for problem-solving, productivity, decision-making, collaboration, and creativity. However, they can be more difficult to hold in a remote work setup due to the lack of physical proximity and the need to schedule time in advance.
When to Hold Spontaneous Meetings
Scheduling spontaneous meetings can benefit teams that must address issues or brainstorm ideas quickly and can be held when the team needs to come together for a brief discussion. Spontaneous meetings are best suited for the following situations:
Solve a problem that has arisen unexpectedly.
Make a quick decision about a time-sensitive issue(project deadline or budget).
Brainstorm ideas for a new project or initiative.
Collaborate on a project that needs to be completed quickly.
Coordinate the efforts of different teams.
Benefits of Spontaneous Meetings
Spontaneous meetings can offer several benefits, including:
Improved problem-solving:
When people from different departments and with different perspectives come together to solve a problem, they can often come up with more creative and effective solutions.
Increased productivity:
Spontaneous meetings can keep teams on track and ensure everyone works towards the same goals while sharing different perspectives and options.
Enhanced collaboration:
Spontaneous meetings in the workplace can help build employee relationships and trust, leading to better project collaboration.
Boosted creativity:
Spontaneous meetings can spark creativity and innovation by allowing employees to brainstorm ideas and share new perspectives.
Improved performance:
Spontaneous meetings can improve performance by helping teams stay on track and aligned with their goals.
However, spontaneous meetings also have some challenges, such as:
They can be disruptive:
If spontaneous meetings are not well-managed, they can disrupt employees' workflow and productivity.
A few people can dominate them:
If the meeting leader does not manage the meeting effectively, it can be dominated by a few people while others are left out.
Soma as a Solution
Can spontaneous meetings happen in a remote work environment?
Over the past two plus years, Soma has been through various trials and errors to ensure that the behaviors and communication methods from existing offline offices can be implemented in Soma as closely to reality as possible through the actual usage experiences of over 10,000 employee users in more than 450 companies.
Soma enables spontaneous meetings by providing a virtual space where employees sit together and spend hours gathered at the office. Whether at the desk, meeting room, or The Hub, Soma allows users to recreate spontaneous interactions that often lead to increased creativity and collaboration.
Users can enjoy the surprises and connection of a physical office, all while working from anywhere in the world - bringing the gap between remote work and in-person collaboration.