Hybrid work is going nowhere: How can directors and the C-suite leverage hybrid meetings to tackle today’s most pressing risks to businesses?

While hybrid working poses challenges to directors and C-suite level employees, hybrid meetings are a vehicle to navigate future risks. 

A recent survey by Diligent* (What Directors Think 2024) reveals boards are closely monitoring the emerging risks posed by AI (23%), new regulations (18%), the economy (17%), cyber (15%), and the geo-political situation (9%). The same survey also indicates cybersecurity (28%), digital transformation (25%), AI developments (22%), and crisis preparedness (15%) rank among the most pressing to raise during a board meeting. These are broad issues where hybrid meetings can facilitate solutions through collaboration. 

As the survey data suggests, directors are required to keep up with various complex topics. Modern boards are facing a rapid rate of fresh challenges owed to the velocity of change in areas like technology, ESG, and the geopolitical landscape. Diligent view hybrid meetings as a way to work efficiently and effectively with subject matter experts to manage a clear organizational strategy for each challenge. 

The story at a glance

• According to Statista, 53% of U.S. workers reported working in a hybrid manner in Q2 2024 as these models further entrench themselves in society. Hybrid meetings and hybrid events continue to be breakout trends in social data, suggesting the model is here to stay and going nowhere undeterred by recent return-to-office initiatives.
• Hybrid meetings are increasingly important at the highest level of business. Hybrid AGMs now make up 40% of all meetings worldwide, while the likes of Microsoft have been praised for a hybrid approach at its most recent general meeting — this suggests hybrid meetings are a tool for directors and the C-suite to generate greater attendance, openness, and expertise to tackle today’s most pressing corporate risks.
• As directors and the C-suite face rapidly evolving risks related to technology, ESG, and the geopolitical landscape, a board’s need to adapt and diversify is paramount. Hybrid meetings can deliver this need, but a strong framework must be established to implement and manage the approach successfully. 

Director meetings require restructuring to enhance value and engagement. The rise of hybrid practices facilitates a new format for businesses to explore, with some putting in great effort to maximize the benefits. Microsoft was praised for its most recent AGM, providing space for shareholders to submit proposals via videos to efficiently make their case. Executives candidly answered shareholders’ questions, improving the attendee experience and making the meeting memorable through hybrid processes.  

As businesses (and major corporate risks) become increasingly global, it’s vital the highest levels of a corporation work with the benefits of hybrid meetings to find solutions to the most pressing issues of 2024 and beyond. 

The success of a hybrid meeting is down to good governance, and has created a framework to support directors and the C-suite in mitigating potential challenges. 

1. Pre-meeting steps

• Setting an agenda: Create an agenda for the meeting to prepare attendees to give the event a focus and encourage participation. An agenda should be clear and concise, outlining the meeting’s purpose and what decisions need to be made. 
• Ensure robust cybersecurity: Digital resilience is paramount for hybrid working practices. Ensure your operation is compliant (or even exceeds) current regional and global regulations — such as the SEC cybersecurity ruling — to keep attendees and data secure. 
• Access to relevant materials: Digitally send relevant reading materials and essential documentation ahead of the meeting to all participants, making sure all who attend also have access to this information and an opportunity to prepare questions.

2. During the meeting

• Get the relevant expertise: Depending on the agenda, not everyone is relevant to the meeting, so make sure you get the right expertise on the call. For example, if cybersecurity compliance is on the agenda, ensure there is a platform for IT and legal experts to contribute and advise. The key benefit of a hybrid meeting is accessing global experts without disruption or costly travel expenses, something that saps time and adds to a company’s carbon footprint. 
• Assign roles: To reduce wasted time and improve the quality of conversation, appoint a facilitator or moderator to manage the call. Moderators provide structure to the meeting and make sure all voices are heard. Hybrid calls also require a scribe to take down key notes and action points that inform follow-up steps post-meeting.
• Have a communication plan: Hybrid meetings mean some attendees are in the room while others attend virtually, a communication plan ensures equality for all participants regardless of location. All attendees should be on the screen, muted while others are communicating but given equal opportunity to respond to talking points. Essential information should be visible to all to enhance participation and understanding. 
• Give space for questions & points of order: A key criticism of hybrid (or remote) meetings is they suppress voices who aren’t in the room or running the event. To avoid this, the moderator should give space to Q&As, encouraging participation and ensuring all voices are heard efficiently in balanced conversation. 
• Establish action points: Hybrid meetings should be a space for valuable and actionable conversations. As such, action points and decisions must be made clear. It may be helpful to record the session so attendees can catch up and review the meeting asynchronously.

3. Post-meeting steps

• Create accountability for action points: To support the completion of post-meeting steps, a scribe or note-taker should signpost follow-up tasks with individuals taking accountability for completion. 
• Report objectives asynchronously: Once the meeting is adjourned and accountability has been assigned to action points, all follow-up tasks should be mapped out and displayed in a collaborative space. The benefit of this is cultivating a culture of visibility both for directors and the C-suite as well as relevant individuals.  
• Keep track of goals: Linking to accountability and collaboration, progress from the meeting should continue in a shared digital space to keep everyone on the same page. Progress towards the goal should be visualized and reported on to achieve the organization’s wider aims. 

“Research from Diligent

diligent.com