The title of this post is lifted from John Mayer's No Such Thing (Columbia, 2001). The lyrics proceed to conclude that there is no "real world," but perhaps it is mistaken. The workers' compensation community returns to the real world once again this week at WCI 2025. What is "real?"
In considering the potential for our brains to make assumptions and even leaps of faith, I have been fascinated by the study of predisposition or bias. It is both a threat to our intellectual engagement with challenges and problems and a great benefit to us in many ways.
A critical point at the outset—eliminating predisposition (bias) is not possible, nor even desirable. Certainly, it is possible for us to identify and resist particular, discrete, and untoward predispositions. But eradicating predisposition per se is impossible.
In a nutshell, it is predisposition (bias) that keeps us from eating cookies and ice cream for every meal—we know what is healthy (or think we do). There are predispositions that lead us to safer behavior. We suspect stoves are hot, knives are sharp, and more. We treat knives differently from spoons, but the fact is that many knives are not any sharper than spoons.
We may have predispositions that drive our professional engagement. One of the key interests is the "automation bias" that leads us to become infatuated with the latest technology. As noted in Unseen Influence: Unconscious Predisposition in Dispute Resolution:
"Virtually every professional maintains constant access to information on a smartphone or similar device. Information and connection have become addictive and self-perpetuating."
We certainly can be hyper-efficient in our digital world. But many question whether we would benefit more from in-person interaction and engagement. We see benefits in the in-person environment, as we will all experience this week at the WCI in Orlando.
This is an annual opportunity to engage in an amazing assortment of interpersonal interactions. There is a face-to-face on Sunday at the OJCC Meet and Greet (5:00 p.m. in the Anaheim, Boston, and Atlanta rooms). There is an amazing raft of breakout sessions and lectures. See Dave's Picks for WCI 2025.
There are also literally hundreds of people wandering the exhibit hall, restaurants, and hallways of the venue hotel. Stick around the workers' compensation community for a short time, and many of them will increasingly become familiar. The vast majority of them are welcoming, gracious, and inclusive.
Don't be discouraged when one of them does not recall your momentary interaction a year ago. This is a large community, with many faces, names, and companies to remember. Be gracious, reintroduce, and keep engaging.
I was particularly struck in a recent unCompLex podcast when a guest noted that there is some reluctance among the "newer" community members to engage. This may be their generational preference for tech or the diffidence or shyness experienced by most people in new settings and groups.
This may also be influenced by some unfamiliarity with the "old folks club." Regardless, the next generations need to understand that most of us "old folks" would be flattered and pleased to meet you. We see you as the future. We welcome you to this space. We would enjoy meeting and learning more about you.
In other words, (re)engage and renew with those you know, but do not hesitate for a moment to approach and engage anyone in this community. Do so repeatedly, and be patient in growing familiarity.
Look for friendly faces. You can always get a picture (called a "Ralphie") with Mr. Gonzalez. He has a million or more, including some with imaginary characters. That epitomizes the eagerness for community engagement. Not everyone will ask you to join for a selfie, but they are welcoming and engaging nonetheless. Give them a chance.
My thoughts above regarding the "automation bias" might seem to be a criticism of tech. Make no mistake, I am not deriding technology. The implementation and leveraging of these tools, including video interaction, have altered our world and community amazingly. They offer benefits, efficiencies, and suitable applications.
But what do we gain by being in person?
Foremost, there is growing evidence that we enjoy and respond to "face-to-face communication." It is a benefit to our mental health, engagement, and emotional well-being. An interesting study supporting that was published in the wake of the pandemic lockdowns; see Face-to-face more important than digital communication for mental health during the pandemic. There are many similar references to the benefits of being with and engaging with people in person.
Second, there is likely a positive reaction for many of us because we are familiar with the in-person. We grew up in a world that necessarily included face-to-face. That may have been planned, like a conference, or spontaneous. We predate the advent of modern tech and all that it implies and imposes.
We "old folks" did not grow up shopping online and thus often saw people we knew at the store. We learned in classrooms, worked in offices, and went to parties. We walked to the courthouse and saw people on the street. We visited theaters instead of streaming in our living rooms. We could not "IM," or email," those did not exist.
The simple truth is that tech has come with convenience and efficiency, and an erosion of some interactions and engagement. This is not to say either is inherently better, but I conclude each has its proper place.
Connectivity is beguiling, convenient, and empowering. The virtual world enhances efficiency and, in some ways, efficacy. But it is, in the end, virtual. It is a reflection of, not a substitute for, what is real.
There are feelings, emotions, and reactions we get from in-person interactions and experiences that are simply not present to the same degree on a video screen or phone call.
An irony you may notice at the WCI is that despite coming from great distances, expending time and resources, some will nonetheless remain focused primarily on their devices. In breakouts, receptions, and hallways, they will remain tethered to some virtual alternative despite being in the midst of a sea of people gathered in pursuit of a singular focus—our workers' compensation community.
Resist the "automation bias" at WCI this week. Join me in the Tuesday morning National Workers' Compensation Review program on predisposition (Grand 8A, 09:55 Tuesday, August 19). Stop me in the hall, whether I know you or not. Come to the OJCC Meet and Greet (5:00 Sunday, Anaheim, etc.). Be forgiving if you introduce yourself for the third time and I don't recognize you (I would like to blame this one on old age, but I simply struggle with names. Faces, not so much).
There is a great opportunity this week to build and renew real human relationships and have substantive interactions. It helps you, helps me, and builds a better community. Let's take advantage of that and get back to the tech and devices next week?
Remember my recommendations for the Comp-savvy in Dave's Picks for WCI 2025. See you soon.
