Highly Inefficient Efficiencies in the Workplace

In the New York Times article “Messages Galore, but No Time to Think,” Phyllis Korkki
highlights the insidious dark side of our deterministic march toward technological productivity. At any given moment, we can now use e-mail, cellphones, instant messaging, text messaging, social media, corporate intranets, cloud applications, and pagers to communicate at work. (What did I miss?) Moreover, the fluidity of these technologies means that we can mix our personal and work communication, 24/7.

Technology is in itself value neutral; its use determines its value. I am thinking of the electrical outlet at my grandparents’ old house, where we managed to use various splitters and power strips to plug in a dozen cords into a single outlet. At some point, of course, this becomes dangerous, either blowing a fuse, or worse, sending a shower of sparks into your home. This is past the point of diminishing returns.

When will we reach this point, as we plug more and more communication lines into our minds? When did we?

“Something may have been lost as we adopted these new communication tools: the ability to concentrate,” asserts Korkki.

According to neuroscientists such as Dr. Daniel Seagull, the practice of mindfulness – or sustained attention – thickens the pre-frontal cortex, which is the rational center of the brain. The pre-frontal cortex balances the more impulsive amygdala system. Balance is good, because sometimes deliberation is required, but other times (such as in dangerous situations), a quicker response is required.

For the sake of the argument, let’s assume that our excessive use of always on multiple communication technologies is the opposite of mindfulness practice. Instead, such practice is to quickly divide out attention in the name of efficiency. What does that do to neurological balance between our rational and our impulsive systems?

The question then becomes: Does the work we do require sustained rational analysis and decision making? Because if it does, we may be shooting ourselves in the foot in the name of efficiency.

Here, it seems, efficiency takes the form of a Zen koan: that which we seek we cannot find unless we stop seeking.

“To lessen the disruptive nature of e-mail and other messages, teams need to discuss how to alter their work process to allow blocks of time where they can disconnect entirely,” adds Korkki.

In other words, the most effective and productive approach requires that we set aside some time to slow down and focus on only one thing.

“Nature does not hurry, yet all is accomplished,” stated Lao Tzu, long ago.

Here is one intervention: actually take your lunch break, and put all of your electronic devices in sleep mode, if only for 30 minutes.

And another easy starting point: unless there is a legitimate reason to do so, do not send an e-mail to someone when you could take a minute to walk over and talk to them in person.

Lastly, keep in mind that neuroscience has debunked multi-tasking as a myth. Your brain is not hardwired to focus on more than one thing at a time – it is what it is. Multi-tasking is simply the rationing out of that one line to shorts bursts of limited attention. Is this really the most efficient way of doing things?

Are you busy, or are you productive? These are two different things.

Disequilibrium and the Teacher-Guide

In May, TRIO Student Support Services took a group of fifteen students on a Transfer and Cultural Tour. The student learning outcomes included: 1) Explore academic transfer opportunities beyond the Auraria Campus; 2) Experience cultural, geographical, and historical learning opportunities not otherwise accessible to TRIO students; and 3) Build communities of support among TRIO students and staff.

We know that the great majority of students that transfer out of CCD remain on the Auraria campus, with most ending up at Metro State. This in itself is not a problem; the tri-institutional arrangement of the Auraria Campus provides seamless transfer for our students, while maintaining local connections. Staying on the Auraria campus is the best value and fit for many of our students. The problem is that some of our students may be better off transferring elsewhere, but they simply do not know that.

The TRIO Transfer and Cultural Tour pushes students outside their comfort zone. We visit transfer institutions and communities that most of our students have never visited (or even heard of). Disequilibrium is pedagogy.

For example, at Western State Colorado University, a TRIO student was concerned that there were no campus police. "The Student Mountain Rescue Team once operated a safety phone line," the Admissions Rep told us, "But after two years they shut it down because not one emergency call was ever placed." (That is a bit different from the Auraria campus, where we hardly bat an eyelid at yet another person exposing themselves on the first floor of South.)

"Is there public transportation?" another student asked. "Well, there is no city bus, but it is not too hard to get around, since you can bike from one end of town to the other in ten minutes."

Certainly the small town campus was not for all of our students ("It is so quiet here...it is freaking me out"), but Western State ended up being the most popular campus we visited this year (in addition to UCCS and Colorado Mesa University).

The role of the teacher-guide is to bring our students into cognitive, cultural, social, even physical environments where they otherwise would not go, and to walk with them along the journey. With a bit of Socratic questioning and some structured time for reflection, the learning process moves along autonomously, as students synthesize new meaning and understanding from a direct and dynamic learning experience.

In TRIO, we firmly believe in the power of robust student support networks, and create opportunities for our participants to build and expand on their community of supporters. It is difficult to underestimate the significance that positive relationships with other students, faculty, and staff have on student success.

The TRIO Transfer and Cultural Tour puts students into new and different interpersonal environments. By intention, the Tour brings together a cross-section of our diverse student population, and puts everyone together in close quarters over four active and long days. As anticipated, the small scuffles and annoyances come about now and then, but when your choice is either to get back in the van, or walk 200 miles home, you make the necessary interpersonal adaptations quickly.

"It was interesting to meet and get to know people that I see at school for less than a minute.  When your traveling with 17 people for four days you get to learn how the person is like and who they are.  People can't hide who they are when traveling for so long with a group of people," noted one student.

Another student added, "I learned that when we build community we may have to work with diverse people who come from different backgrounds and beliefs. When we are working with the community, we need to be patient and we cannot expect that other people will perform like us because we come from different cultures, backgrounds, have different strengths and weaknesses, different personalities. It is important that we respect other people as well as ourselves."

"The trip gave me the ability to meet students whom I may not have otherwise interacted with. In doing so any of the other travelers can help to support the college experience and in return I can do the same for them. I told everyone on the trip that I work in our Office of Student Life and if they ever need books or any type of human services related help to come by. We can all support one another through our different background and experiences as college students. The camaraderie  is something that is priceless and can never be replaced," reflected a third student.

The role of the teacher-guide is not to control or direct or even inform. The teacher-guide creates intentional and thoughtful learning environments that challenge students to synthesize new experiences and understandings. Whether the student learning outcomes are purely academic, or more broadly developmental, disequilibrium is a powerful and engaging method to increase student learning and success.