work products, and created an e-mail campaign for sending peri-
odic tip sheets to all practitioners worldwide.
In the past few years, we have found that even if we had the
best technology in the world, technology by itself does not ensure
that we share best practices and share knowledge. In fact, technol-
ogy can be a subtle impediment to community building and infor-
mal bonding. Frequent users of e-mail have had the experience that
someone who relies heavily on brief electronic communiqués may
misunderstand a message or attribute negative or wrong connota-
tions to an e-mail they receive. In our opinion, the more heavily
some people rely on e-mail, the less likely they are to build bonds
with new people. They need to meet face to face, at least periodi-
cally, to expand the scope of their trust network and social capital.
They need the nuance of expression in face-to-face communica-
tion to really get to know each other. E-mail alone cannot do
that. People need opportunities to work together, to meet in
person, and to build a history of shared experiences. Electronic
interaction cannot replace the bond built with face-to-face shared
experiences.
The shrinking economy of the past few years has increased the
pressure to reduce the number of opportunities for face-to-face
meetings due to cost considerations. We find ourselves spacing
firmwide meetings at longer intervals, and inevitably, therefore, our
associates see less of each other. At a time when business is chal-
lenging, competition is intense, and our people are meeting less
often, there is a real danger that the collegiality we so value will
erode and that people will start acting selfishly and waste time
competing with colleagues rather than focusing on how best to
serve the client. Happily, this is where the wheel comes full circle.
Technology, which as we have seen is not enough in itself to bind
us together, now comes to our aid. Through conference calls,
videoconferencing, remote online access, and Web conferencing,
we interact with each other and are able to keep the ideas coming
and moving and so preserve the social capital that is at the heart of
our firm’s success.
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