[leftbit]

> There’s a lot of collaboration and spontaneous connection that happens in hallways and kitchenettes.

Those spontaneous connections yielding noticeable results are probably an urban legend. 25 years in the business and I've never seen this happen. You're talking with people in your team/project anyway in regular meetings, so there is no reason to drag that into the hallway. Talking biz to people from other projects/teams is mostly impossible - would take hours to explain a specific problem to get a meaningful contribution. Never goes beyond basic griping and commiseration.

If you think those meetings are essential for company success you REALLY should examine your process.