6. Big Decisions in Chit-chat

Returning to those sessions during lunch break, when everyone animatedly discusses things like Iwata-san describes, does it feel like a meeting? Or is it like small talk?

They’re more like small talk. We don’t forget to put in jokes either.

Yeah. I feel as if all the important creative decisions are made during chit-chats.

Oh, we say the same thing at our company, too.

For that reason, we’ve been wondering recently how we can stop meetings from being formal and make them more like small talk. If we don’t, there’s a fear that, in the worst case, we’ll only be able to make worthless decisions.

Uh-huh.

When my company moved last year, we created places here and there around the floor where everyone’s desks are so people could easily group up. Having a place like that is important.

Oh, uh-huh.

It’s essential to have that in the layout plan. When the number of people increases, that kind of place is encroached upon.

Yes, that’s right. It may be spacious right after the move, but it will get cramped.

Yes, it will. When it gets busy and the number of people increases, the small talk space is the first to go.

Uh-huh.

So when we moved, we made sure that kind of space wasn’t lost. We created space for small talk where desks and chairs couldn’t be easily lined up.

Places like that are important. There was a time when the smoking room was where important decisions were made.

Right! (laughs)

Small talk in the smoking room was where you could figure important things out quickly and come up with good ideas, but the number of smokers has decreased.

Or the company smoking room has disappeared altogether.

I’ve created a place for that type of water-cooler palaver for quite some time.

What kind of place did you make?

There used to be a table right in the middle of a department with about 30 people, but it started to lose its value when we had to start managing the timetable for it as a meeting place. Recently, we’ve made places for several people to sit down for each team block. Like snack areas.

That’s the same as us! (laughs)

There’s a pile of snacks.

Yes. I recommend that.

A snack spot.

Uh-huh! Piles of snacks are laying alongside development documents. (laughs)