For some people working different schedules is what works for them. What about that type of inclusion? Inclusion of those who don't want to do the standard 9 to 5 and those who do want to socialize with each other.
I think there is a tendency for individuals to do 180 on business-related processes every time a new article comes out about some business is doing X and it appears to be successful for now.
When times are rough having a social relationship will help keep the business part of the relationship in tact. Things will not always be easy and there will be rough patches and stressful situations. It's also helpful to meet and get to know people in other departments before you need them for something.
If you work in any kind of large organization with lots of departments and moving parts you will need to know now to navigate the organization. Social situations allow you a chance to build relationships with people working on other parts of the business that you may or may not need help with later on down the line. People have to socialize with each other to get work done. It's not an option to not have at least a somewhat social relationship with someone you work with closely. It's not realistic.
Yes, I think it's helpful to understand someone else's point of view(and/or motivations) and where it comes from. Knowing these things can stop you from being offended by something that may be said or done that wouldn't otherwise be considered offensive. Many times you will already know how someone will react to certain situations and decisions as well as figure out ways to effectively navigate that.
Its easier to get a co-worker to care about and help you with your problem if you have some common ground with a co-worker or some social capital. A "business only non-social" environment means you have a whole bunch of people working who ultimately undermine each other.
You wind up with duplication of effort etc... I've had people tell me flat out tell me they don't want me to tell them the solution to the problem they were having that was already solved because they wanted to figure it out by themselves. This type of "business-only" competitive attitude is wasteful of the businesses time and money. This happened at one company I worked at who was steadily laying folks off while this sort of wasteful behavior was happening.
All in all trying to take the people out of the people in my almost 10 years of experience doesn't actually work out well and can actually be wasteful and hurt the business.