A few weeks ago, the Nextdata summer offsite provided an invaluable opportunity for our team to meet in person and experience a highly productive week in San Francisco. This gathering was not just a meeting but a critical opportunity to establish our engineering culture and collaborative ethos.

Understanding Nextdata and data mesh

Before delving into the details of our offsite, it's important to understand what Nextdata stands for and our pioneering work with data mesh, the concept created by our founder, Zhamak Dehghani. If you are not familiar with data mesh, I highly recommend exploring the following resources:

• Nextdata's perspective on data mesh
• Zhamak’s foundational data mesh book  

At the forefront of decentralized data and in particular data product containerization–stay tuned for more–, Nextdata operates with a decentralized team that encompasses a broad range of skills from UI and Infrastructure/DevOps to System Engineering. Our team members are located across three continents, making us a truly global entity.

The necessity of in-person meetings in a hybrid/remote environment

A remote-first work culture gives access to extraordinary global talent and diversity, which is crucial to building a deeply technical product like Nextdata OS. But remote culture is not `free` or `just a traditional work culture without the office`; it requires explicit choice and commitment throughout the company. 

For example, building a shared narrative and sense of belonging becomes more challenging in a remote environment, as there is less personal interaction and identification with shared lunch or after-office activities.

Also, building a sense of psychological safety, which in turn is the foundation of an open discussion culture in which everyone feels safe to contribute their point of view, is more difficult. Limited communication channels–video conferencing and messengers–provide significantly less non-verbal communication, often making it more difficult to determine subtleties such as “Was this a joke or a serious statement”.

‍Remote environments–especially across multiple timezones–also come with a certain communication overhead, as inofficial office communication, e.g., at lunch or the coffee machine, is replaced with more explicit documentation.

Last but not least, creative tasks often feel more natural in an in-person environment. I usually refer to this as “Jörg’s crazy ideas,” for which I wouldn’t schedule a dedicated Zoom meeting or start a discussion on Slack (at least 9 out of 10 don’t make sense, but there is this one idea once in a while). In an in-person setting, one can leverage again more inofficial office communication to brainstorm about these topics freely.

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Memorable moments and lasting impact

It is possible to create a remote environment that enables the interactions we want while countering the challenges, but regular in-person meetings provide another important building block. Therefore Nextdata strives to meet at least twice a year in person. For example, at our recent offsite in San Francisco, we spent a week together filled with productive sessions, brainstorming, and team-building activities that reinforced our commitment to collaboration and innovation. Here are some key takeaways:

Building relationships

Meeting in person allows us to get to know each other beyond the confines of video calls and emails. With this in mind we had reserved one day to head for a non-work Team Event to Muir Woods. One moment that stuck with me was a little game where during the bus ride to Muir Woods, we had to match cards with three facts each to each person. Impressive! What you can learn about your peers is impressive! Such personal interaction lays the foundation for a culture of open discussion, where team members feel comfortable and safe to express their opinions and disagreements–even for the Zoom meetings after everyone is back. The resulting mutual respect and understanding are vital for leveraging the full potential of Nextdata’s diverse team.

Fostering creative work and discussions

While a hybrid/remote setup is effective for most tasks, in-person meetings enable deeply creative discussions that are often harder to achieve online. These synchronous interactions spark innovative ideas and solutions, driving our projects forward with renewed energy and clarity.

One evening, a few of us managed to get a table at one of my favorite pizza places in Little Italy (aka North Beach). Despite starting with mostly personal discussions, at some point, we ended up sharing all our personal wish lists for the next product feature. 

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Enhancing team cohesion

The informal interactions and shared experiences during the offsite strengthened our team cohesion. Encouraging the team to get out and walk during short breaks in the program allowed people to catch up in varied groups as they explored Embarcadero, Pier 39, or the walk to Coit Tower.

While having a remote work environment makes it easier to build diverse teams, it becomes more difficult to create a sense of `being one Team`. During our offsite, nextdata also ‘graduated to a real startup’, by finally having official swag–beautiful hoodies, T-shirts, and, of course, stickers. While this might sound like silly toys, it truly helps in my opinion to build a sense of belonging to the nextdata team.

This camaraderie translates into more effective collaboration when we return to our respective remote work environments. 

Innovative problem-solving

The in-person discussions led to several breakthrough ideas and solutions. 

We had deliberately reserved one morning for unplanned collaboration, and almost instantly, smaller groups formed around whiteboards or Laptops to discuss and tackle some of the most complex problems. So, a lesson learned: all it takes is spare time and a whiteboard, and people will be intrinsically motivated to collaborate. 

Replicating this creative, collaborative, dynamic environment of face-to-face meetings in the remote world, with precious small intersections of different time zones, is challenging. It is often not a priority while working towards the next milestone, but whenever we manage to create some open space and time, it is well worth the investment.

Renewed motivation

Meeting colleagues in person and engaging in collaborative activities boosted our motivation and morale. This renewed energy is crucial for maintaining high productivity and job satisfaction in remote work. I remember the spike of Code Pull Requests the day after everyone had landed back home while implementing the ideas during that week.

Conclusion

The Nextdata summer offsite was more than just a meeting; it was a reaffirmation of the importance of in-person interactions in a hybrid/remote work environment. By fostering strong relationships, encouraging creative discussions, and boosting team morale, these offsite meetings play a pivotal role in our success. As we continue to navigate the complexities of decentralized data and global collaboration, such gatherings will remain an integral part of our strategy, ensuring we stay connected, innovative, and motivated.