I really responded to the reading on Group Flow this week. ¹

When I was younger I worked in my spare time as a freelance web designer, building websites and doing design work for local bands and musicians. It was in doing this work that I first experienced “flow” or being in The Zone, as I better knew it. On occasion I would get so into the work I was doing that I would work all through the night and into the next morning, well past sunrise. This happened multiple times, and I’ve never in my life been so productive as during those all-night sessions fuelled by music and terrible junk food.

One of the best articles I’ve read about The Zone is “A Precious Hour” by Rands, an engineer and artist who has worked all through the technology industry. As someone who is easily distracted and expert at procrastinating, I really jive with the idea that The Zone should always be a destination you’re striving to get to. I can get so much more work done in one hour in The Zone than I could in a whole day in what Rands calls the Faux-Zone, which gives you all the positive chemical feedback of productivity but without the actual productivity.

I’ve already discovered that I can’t get any study done at home – I need to travel into the city to base myself in the library or another quiet study space if I want to get anything done. Just being in a distraction-free environment goes a long way to getting me to The Zone.

(Incidentally, Rands has a few other fantastic articles including one about the psychology of being an introvert, and the importance of having a cave. (Note: this is not the same as a “man cave”, which is a concept I detest.))

But in terms of group work, the rules that govern flow are a lot different. With disparate voices, opinions and desires all forced to coexist, there needs to be a more rigid structure supporting the group to collaborate in a productive, pleasant way. Sawyer (2007) dictates ten conditions that should be met for group flow to be achieved:

1. The group’s goals need to be aligned and recorded
2. Group members need to practice close listening
3. Complete concentration
4. All members should feel in control, heard by the group
5. Blending egos is of utmost importance, lest people feel overwhelmed or crowded out of decision making
6. Participation should be equal amongst all members
7. Familiarity
8. Communication
9. Moving it forward, always building on ideas with progression in mind
10. Accepting the potential for failure