P2P

4 P E E R T O P E E R : I L T A ' S Q U A R T E R L Y M A G A Z I N E | S U M M E R 2 0 2 2 F R O M T H E C E O W elcome back ILTAns! And wow!! ...have we learned a lot about collaboration in the past two years! We have learned new skills, expanded our definition of the possible, and employed new tools (or old tools in new ways). The critical issue in nearly all operational areas, and we are focusing here on collaboration, is how much is going to "stick." Remote working remains common at present, but many organizations – both inside and outside legal – are asking team members to return to the office. Thus, stickiness comes into play in three forms, all of which have both training/ behavioral and technology components: First, as we return to the office, what technology changes did we make during the pandemic that will stick? The use of video communication immediately comes to mind. Many organizations struggled to gain broad adoption of video conferencing in the period before the pandemic. The use of video conferencing tended to be from high-end conference rooms with video walls, excellent cameras, professional audio, etc. Many of the CEOs that I've spoken with have seen their high-end conference rooms go begging since lawyers have begun returning to the office. People have enjoyed the parity that comes with everyone being "a head in a box" and dealing equally with work- from-home interruptions, the vagaries of individual Internet connections, and consumer- grade video and audio equipment. Will people be satisfied with being one small head on camera along with four others on the same side of the table? Will everyone want better audio and video, as well as light rings, etc., for home offices (or even in the office)? Finally, will video stick? I think it will. However, interestingly, some firms have reported a significant increase in the use of audio-only bridges, as some users have looked for a respite from video. Similarly, what behavioral changes will stick? For example, during the pandemic there was a greatly increased tolerance for informality in video business communications -- less formal dress, kids and pets entering the frame, calls put on hold to answer the doorbell, etc. Many people with whom I have spoken characterized that informality as a plus – we saw people as individuals not just as their role. Will we still value this informality when we are in-person more (absent, of course, the kids and pets)? A second area of stickiness involves those people who are working primarily back in the office again. Certain business of law functions and associated technology changed radically to accommodate mandated work-from-home during the pandemic. Some of the most noteworthy are handling of physical mail (scan and route?), records management, Joy Heath Rush joy@iltanet.org

• Cover