Article summary: The future of work is written

“The future of work is written” is an article from Juan Pablo Buriticá from Stripe published on increment.com.

This is a summary of the keys points from the article, but the original is definitely worth reading, and not long itself (the original is 2300 words; this is 250).

Distributed work isn’t a modern invention (e.g. The Roman Catholic Church) and the need to access global talent market will only make it increase. Working at a distance can unlock opportunities for workers and companies alike.

Depending on proximity will eventually result in disruption. Proactively learn to work together from a distance to be more resilient and adaptable. One of the best ways we have to bridge distances is writing. Constitutional governments are great examples of how written artifacts can survive—and influence work—for long periods of time.

Some decisions require presence and discussion, but many can be made responsibly and asynchronously. Collaborative documents can become self-documenting meetings for instance. And writing offers us possibilities beyond meeting documentation. Writing can be collaboratively reshaped. Documents can be replicated, shared, edited, and are an age-old microcosm of open source.

Writing isn’t an easy feat. Doing it well takes time. Knowing what to document is more of an art than a science. Comfortably sharing work in progress requires psychological safety. Poor management of information can impact a workplace in the same way as a lack of information. Companies that want to get better at writing need to invest in how they manage written information.

Advocate for written communication and models of asynchronous productivity.

Tags: communication, documentation, summary