From the Strange File: Smoking Can Improve Collaboration

We all know that smoking is bad for our health.  But this partly tongue-in-cheek article,  Slipping out for a cigarette has its benefits in the Financial Times, suggests that smokers that are forced by workplace smoking laws to retreat to smoking rooms or out of doors create a valuable bond.  As the author points out in his article:

"Companies spend money on activities such as Outward Bound adventures and cookery classes, hoping to encourage bonding between different departments. Smokers already cross those boundaries. Look at any group congregating for a cigarette: you will see senior executives and security guards, marketing and IT support."

"Does smoking produce business benefits? "There's no doubt in my mind that it inspires cross-departmental collaboration," one FT commercial manager (and smoker) told me. 'You get to know people who you otherwise wouldn't, and get a feel for what they do. If you've half a spark of creativity about you you'll doubtless stumble across an idea you hadn't thought of before. It also allows for the 'off the record' conversations between departments that grease the wheels of business. I'd be pretty lost without them.'"

We like that this article reinforces the importance of people in the collaboration equation, and that random connections across an enterprise can yield positive and unplanned results.  We should be seeking the equivalent of smokers bonds without the health risks.

Update on 24 December 2010 by Lokesh Datta

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