Shallow Work

Biological Parallel

Grooming in primates is shallow work: valuable for coalition maintenance but cognitively undemanding, often performed while monitoring surroundings. It can be interrupted, resumed, even done simultaneously with vigilance. Shallow work serves essential social and maintenance functions—a groomed coalition is a strong coalition—but doesn't advance complex goals. Organizations need both: deep work for innovation, shallow work for the social grooming that maintains organizational cohesion.