July 5, 2023

What would happen if you gave two teams the same problem to solve, funding, and expertise, but one team worked remotely and the other worked in person?

I have a strong feeling that the in-person team would outperform the remote team. There is something special about the camaraderie, fast decision-making, and trust that develops when everyone is in the same room at the same time.

On the other hand, you could argue that a remote team, led by a strong founding team, could outperform the in-person team if the remote team is highly aligned and independent. A team that can get into a flow state while working from home may be more productive than one in an office that is constantly distracted by other activities.

I wonder if anyone is conducting an experiment like this. It would be particularly interesting to observe when a company is in its early stages, before it has achieved product-market fit.