Planning for the Unplannable: A Culture Built on Energy

In the "Anti-Plans Social Butterfly" series, we'll explore how workplace strategy can support the spontaneity and momentum, that drives human connection and innovation.

Operationalizing Momentum for Connection and Collaboration

When momentum is embedded in team culture, employees are more likely to recognize and act on those real-time opportunities that spark meaningful connection and productive collaboration. While spontaneity can’t be forced, it can be encouraged and inspired through planning and design. In the previous two articles, we explored the social dynamics and spatial design that support momentum. In this final installment, we focus on how to integrate in-the-moment connection and collaboration into company culture.

Many organizations assume that simply returning to the office will reignite innovation and cohesion. However, without intentional practices to rebuild workplace culture, that return can fall flat for both employees and leaders. Momentum for collaboration and connection grows when supported by a balance of structure and flexibility, creating the conditions for natural engagement that also drives business outcomes. For Anti-Plans Social Butterflies, it’s the perfect environment for connection to feel real and work to feel alive.

What does that look like?

• Budgeting for momentum | Coffee runs, shared lunches, and hallway catchups deserve time and space in the workday. These are signs of a healthy, connected workplace, not distractions. When organizations acknowledge the value of these moments and provide light guidance on how much time to allot weekly, employees gain the psychological safety to participate without second-guessing whether it’s acceptable.

• Team agreements | These simple frameworks help teams define best practices for connection and collaboration, allowing momentum-led engagement to flow naturally within agreed-upon boundaries. In support of momentum, agreements can include statements like, “We support 15-minute impromptu brainstorms when someone has a fresh idea.” This gives room for creative, informal engagement while setting expectations that align with work flow.

• Etiquette and usage guidance | Clear social and spatial norms help employees make the most of the office. This includes guidance on where to go to follow the energy of a conversation or activity, and how to use on-demand work settings, 1:1 pods, and team zones in ways that support spontaneous interaction without disrupting others. It also ensures the tools and spaces provided are used effectively and as intended.

• Team rituals | Recurring, low-pressure gatherings, like midweek lunches or end-of-day happy hours, can help establish a rhythm of informal connection. These are most effective when held during work hours, aligned with team culture, and timed with existing meetings or in-office days.

• Ease into scheduled events | Formally scheduled events can feel overwhelming, especially for Anti-Plans Social Butterflies. Consider ways to build pre-event momentum with low-barrier activities like a shared lunch, group coffee run, or casual team hang out before heading to a meeting or company gathering. These warm-ups create interpersonal energy, helping people show up to the main event with more comfort, authenticity, and presence.

  
  

Reminding People What They Can Do in the Office

Many employees are out of practice or inexperienced when it comes to participating in a thriving and connected office culture. Some are new to the workforce and have never experienced office life before the pandemic. Others have simply slipped into habits of overworking and minimizing social interaction. Reintroducing people to the full potential of the office, showing them what it can offer socially, professionally, and experientially, can help restore a sense of purpose and possibility in their time on-site.

The perception that coming to the office means eating lunch alone at their desks, sitting through back-to-back meetings, or spending the day on virtual calls with no breaks, the space becomes synonymous with restriction, not support. By re-onboarding employees into a workday and culture that encourages conversation, connection, and authentic energy, organizations can shift how the office is viewed. Rather than feeling restrictive, it becomes a place that strengthens relationships, supports performance, and brings energy to the day.

When organizations model and support a culture of momentum-led connection, the workplace transforms from something to power through into a space that brings out people’s best ideas.

The Anti-Plans Social Butterfly Series Conclusion

In Part 1, we introduced the Anti-Plans Social Butterfly, someone who thrives in authentic, spontaneous connection but resists scheduled socializing. Part 2 shifted the focus to space, showing how proximity, visibility, and design can enable momentum, unlocking better ideas and more effective collaboration.

This final article offers a way to act on both. Supporting momentum-led collaboration and connection means aligning culture, environment, and team rhythms to give people the freedom to follow energy instead of obligation. The most powerful moments at work are often impromptu, emerging from the spark of shared momentum.

Thank you for joining me on this series!

CRUX Workplace