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Are you “maximizing friction” in your life and work? Friction in this context is the antidote to super-convenient technology that allows us to scroll through the news on demand, have AI answer our questions, and sit half-attentive in virtual meetings. When we reject technology solutions that seem easy, we accept the friction of doing something ourselves, even if it requires more effort. Life becomes less convenient, slower, and more in-person.
The concept of “maximizing friction” was picked up this month by Kathryn Jether-Morton, who argued in an essay for The Cut to “increase our tolerance for ‘inconvenience'” rather than treating it as something to be eliminated. Her concerns were about childcare. She suggested forcing boredom on children, saying, “Without friction, most children would have no reason to like reading, much less think for themselves.”
For adults, maximizing this kind of friction might mean cooking from scratch rather than having meals delivered. At work, you might want to resume an in-person meeting or read an entire document instead of an AI overview.
Helen Palmer, who works in learning and development, says Friction Max for her means writing things out by hand. “I actively review my notes, find notes about my team in time for the end of the year, and reflect on successes, failures, etc. I would argue that I remember more from meetings this way.” Business consultant Sarah Mardle has seen enthusiasm for in-person meetings grow as colleagues “turned down the introductory call option in Teams to get coffee in town, even though they had to wait a few weeks.”
But when staff are under pressure to use AI to increase productivity, why is their job even more difficult?
An oft-cited 2018 New York Times essay by Tim Wu states that there is value in hardship because it is “a component of the human experience.” He believes that we should resist the “tyranny of convenience” where “it’s all about the destination and no journey” because the “journey” is the important part.
Outsourcing intelligence to AI without first doing some critical thinking can lead to what researchers call “cognitive atrophy.” AI hacking also creates new problems. For example, automatic note-taking in a meeting can make participants reluctant to speak up. In some cases, you may be better off rejecting the convenience of AI. Auto-generated email responses may not require much effort, but do they get your nuanced point across?
Recruitment is one area where there is a backlash against frictionless technology. “When you can easily apply to hundreds of jobs an hour, you create a frenzy that is not very helpful to companies or applicants,” says Kester Brewin of the Institute for the Future of Work. “Finding the optimal level of friction to get the best ‘match’ for the job is something that requires urgent investigation.”
This might include adding unexpected questions that require human answers or incorporating events where candidates meet face-to-face with employers. However, there is a dark side to the return to human-powered recruitment. Brewin points out that systems of “know-you” hiring and favoring privileged applicants are making a comeback.
Maximizing friction can be unfair in other ways. This means that only high-status workers have the autonomy to call offline meetings and set their own schedules. “People often use friction as a way to make the job more difficult or inconvenient or to build status around them, but that’s very difficult to do,” said Andre Spicer, executive dean at Bayes Business School in London.
Embracing friction by stepping away from the office can also help improve your skills at work. Abigail Hunt, a learning and development specialist at consulting firm Deloitte, says picking up a new hobby as an adult (she takes art classes) can help your career. “Embracing friction, including feedback, makes you experiment more, fail more, pause more, and reflect more. [and] learn more. “
Perhaps the broader truth is that friction has become necessary for those who want to protect human qualities from the onslaught of technology.
“Many of my students are concerned that the convenience of technology will prevent them from developing the nuanced judgment skills they desire,” says Giampiero Petriglieri, associate professor of organizational behavior at INSEED Business School. “If you look like your controlling parent, your life will be easier, but then you won’t know how to manage your own life.”
To improve their judgment, Petriglieri encourages MBA students to invite friends over for dinner. “Cooking and entertaining are very simple and practical acts, but they are still very symbolic. Friction is essential to it,” he says. “It requires attentiveness, sensitivity, and presence.”
Isabel Barwick writes in her weekly Working It newsletter: Sign up here.
