• You tend to ping each other or chat live when needed instead of waiting for a meeting or sending an email or written doc.
• Meeting preparation and follow-up work are lightweight. You don't always write down agendas, decisions, or action items.
• Institutional knowledge and team expertise live in people's heads rather than in written documentation.

Environments where innovation, speed, and personal communication are prioritized, e.g.,

• Creative contexts like advertising, design, and entertainment, where the free flow of ideas and less formal communication can spark more innovative outcomes.
• The fast-paced world of startups, where agility is crucial and informal teams can quickly adapt to changes, make swift decisions and pivot as needed, without being bogged down by rigid structures.
• The early stages of brainstorming and experimental research, where scientists and engineers can explore various hypotheses and creative solutions without being restricted by formal protocols.

• For important discussions, you prefer written communication and pre-existing meetings to ad hoc calls and Slack pings.
• Meetings are structured and have agendas. Decisions and action items are written down.
• Critical team knowledge is kept in documentation that is organized and kept up-to-date.

Environments where precision, accuracy, and consistency are essential, e.g.,

• Regulated industries like finance and healthcare, where strict compliance rules require careful documentation.
• Large scale projects that involve many moving parts, like physical or software engineering projects.
• Roles where complex data management defines success, like data engineering and analysis.