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  • ”Psychologist Ville Ojanen: “Genuine presence creates the most productive interaction – this accounts for less than 10% of all interaction in working life”

”Psychologist Ville Ojanen: “Genuine presence creates the most productive interaction – this accounts for less than 10% of all interaction in working life”

According to psychologist Ville Ojanen, there are three types of interaction in working life. Almost 90% of the interaction is the least productive kind, formal interaction. What is the most productive, reflective interaction like and how can you learn it?  

Psychologist Ville Ojanen, who has expertise on brain research and presence, which Sponda has highlighted as a working life theme, considers a brain-centred approach to be the main challenge in today’s knowledge work. According to him, this is reflected in the kind of interaction that occurs in companies. 

“In working life, almost 90% of all interaction is brain-centred transfer of information, that is, formal interaction. The words that characterise it are agenda, scheduling, productivity and efficiency,” explains Ojanen. 

Reflective interaction creates mutual appreciation and innovative thinking.

According to him, the share of formal interaction has increased with digitalisation, as people have started to work more in isolation. 

“It has been forgotten that humans are a social species, who achieve their best performance when they feel connected.”

Three types of interaction

In addition to formal interaction, informal interaction takes place in working life, according to Ojanen. It occurs when you run into colleagues by chance on the corridor, engage in small talk, share physical energy and build mutual trust.

According to psychologist Ville Ojanen, reflective, or learning, interaction is based on genuine presence, where you are present in the moment and feel aware of yourself and your surroundings – and also consider the feelings and needs of others. 

“Informal interaction is more effective than formal interaction in terms of collaboration and learning together, but its effects are difficult to measure because of its casual nature.”

Ojanen calls the third and the most effective interaction in human terms reflective, or learning, interaction. 

It is essential that spaces and opportunities conducive to reflection are made available in day-to-day life.

It is based on a strong sense of presence and connection that generates mutual appreciation and innovative thinking.

“In reflective interaction, people in a way coach one another and help each other develop. It is often conspicuous by its absence in companies, even though today’s working life is full of problems caused by its lack,” says Ojanen.

Learning interaction requires presence

According to the psychologist, practising reflective interaction should be started by focusing on presence. This requires us to make a conscious decision to pause, as almost 60,000 unstructured thoughts crop up in the human brain each day, most of which relate to the past or the future.

When we are consciously present, we are connected in three directions through our emotions, thinking and bodily sensations – to ourselves, to others and to the environment.

According to Ojanen, today’s uncertain working life is in desperate need of presence and reflective interaction. “When you meet face-to-face and share things more deeply, trust and appreciation are created, which also help us cope with the challenges that we encounter in our work.”

“We should try to recognise the things we are aware of right now and the sensations we feel. It is essential to distinguish which thoughts and feelings are related to the present moment and focus only on them,” Ojanen describes.

According to the psychologist, an accepting and appreciative atmosphere begins to emerge when we communicate through our physical presence and our words that this moment and this encounter are the most important things in the world right now – and when we are genuinely interested in and curious about other people’s thoughts as well.

Presence requires stopping – most of our thoughts are about the past or the future.

In turn, a safe atmosphere lays the foundation for reflective interaction, where things are shared, discussed and understood more deeply. 

“When employees discuss more essential matters, a stronger connection is created between them. The trust and cohesion that emerge from in-depth discussions also help us cope with the challenges of working life and come up with solutions to problems.”

Spotlight on your people

Ojanen encourages companies to foster regular moments of reflective interaction in day-to-day life. This may include informal gatherings, presentations, debates or panel discussions. Or casual brainstorming or problem-solving sessions held at the beginning of remote meetings. 

“It is essential to place the focus on your own people. It strengthens cohesion and mutual appreciation and helps employees learn from each other,” notes Ojanen. 

According to Ojanen, reflective interaction is best created in company’s internal gatherings, where the staff get the spotlight. “Placing the focus on your own people brings the staff together and helps people learn from each other,” says Ojanen. 

He reminds us that reflective interaction has intrinsic value in itself. Interaction does not necessarily need to lead to immediate changes or tangible results, although it often does – either directly or indirectly.

“The value of reflective interaction lies in the process itself. Interaction that is appreciative, open and leads to deep thinking and understanding serves as a catalyst that strengthens team spirit, facilitates learning and increases well-being at work,” explains Ojanen.  

Harness the humankind’s superpower – learn how to practice holistic presence! >>

Real estate investment company Sponda wants to shake up working life by highlighting the importance of the humankind’s most important value, presence. What can we achieve as individuals, communities and society if we are truly present in what we do? What happens if we lose our most important asset once and for all?  

In its communications, Sponda also shares concrete instructions for practising presence and reflective interaction, building an organisation characterised by a sense of presence, and designing premises that create a sense of community. Sign up for our newsletter to receive all content directly to your inbox. You can also find the publications on sponda.fi or on social media using the hashtags #lasnaolo and #FlipForPresence. 

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