21st Century Work Life - WLP340 Public vs Private Online Groups: The Impact on Creativity

WLP340 Public vs Private Online Groups: The Impact on Creativity

11/09/23 • 39 min

2 Listeners

With the rise of online communities and digital platforms, the way we share, innovate, and co-create has evolved. Wietske van Osch, together with Burcu Bulgurcu recently published research, exploring the nuances of collaborative creativity in online spaces. Pilar came across the piece in the MIT Sloan Review, and invited Wietske onto the show.

This episode is a great example of the power of online communities. Pilar read the article “The Profound Influence of Small Choices in Digital Collaboration” in the Fall 2023 edition of the MIT Sloan Review, and shared it in a Slack community hosted by previous guest Rachael Happe. One of its members, Lori, happened to know Wietske and she introduced her to Pilar.

In this episode, Wietske van Osch talks about her recent research into enterprise social networks, exploring how a group's choice of private or public channels influences the type of creativity nurtured.

Connect with Wietske over on LinkedIn. You can find the full show notes over at

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/public-private At Virtual not Distant, we consider asynchronous communication an essential practice of online collaboration. That’s why we’ve created an audio-first course for managers new to leading remote teams, and new managers. Find out more about the course here or get in touch with Pilar through our contact form.

Connect with Wietske over on LinkedIn. You can find the full show notes over at

Previous Episode

WLP339 Going Async-First to Promote Inclusivity

In this conversation, Pilar and Sumeet Gayathri Moghe delve into the intricacies of remote work, asynchronous communication, and the challenges of global collaboration. Sumeet also shares why he “worked out loud” as part of the process of writing the book “The Async-First Playbook”. For the full summary of the conversation, head over to

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/async-first Links:

Connect with Sumeet over at LinkedIn. Read Sumeet’s work: www.asyncagile.org Delight your eyes with Sumeet’s other work: www.sumeetmoghe.com/ Find out more about “The Async-First Playbook: Remote Collaboration Techniques for Agile Software Teams”. Find out more about the Async-First Manifesto. *Special Offer:* For a limited time, listeners can avail a discount on the "Async First Playbook" by navigating to informit.com/async and using the coupon code "NOTDISTANT".

At Virtual not Distant, we also consider asynchronous communication an essential practice of online collaboration. That’s why we’ve created an audio-first course for managers new to leading remote teams, and new managers. Find out more about the course here or get in touch with Pilar through our contact form.

Next Episode

WLP341 Whats Going On: Will Asynchronous Communication Save Remote Work?

Maya and Pilar share their thoughts on the last two episodes, both of which covered different aspects of asynchronous communication. While some organisations are still struggling with incorporating a “good” version of async, others are getting ready to introduce AI. Where will it all end?

Links and mentions They refer back to episode 339 and 340. Talk about the recent Loom acquisition by Atlassian: https://www.atlassian.com/blog/announcements/atlassian-acquires-loom

Pilar mentions the AI Marketing Show, and a listener sent in this article on Working Out Loud: https://www.reworked.co/collaboration-productivity/rehumanize-your-workplace-by-working-out-loud/ For a longer summary, check out

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/more-async