SOME OF THE WORLD’S PROFILE BUSINESS LEADERS HAVE SAID THAT HYBRID WORKING IS ALL FROTH AND NO SUBSTANCE. THEIR OPINION IS, ACHIEVING UNPRECEDENTED LEVELS OF PRODUCTIVITY IS BORDERING ON FANTASY. BUT FOR A FEW BUSINESSES AND INDUSTRIES – IN WHICH HYBRID IS THE DE FACTO WAY OF OPERATING – IT REALLY IS BUSINESS AS USUAL, WITH A TRANSIENT, PROJECT-BASED WORKFORCE THAT COMES AND GOES, AS AND WHEN REQUIRED. FOR THE MAJORITY, STUCK WITH MORE RIGID AND TRADITIONAL BUSINESS NORMS AND FRAMEWORKS, MUSCLE MEMORY KEEPS INFLEXING AND EXPOSING OLD TRAITS
Hybrid working is here to stay, but many leaders are tussling with employees for control and still trying to apply old work practices to a new working model. Even those able to imagine the hybrid workplace as a thriving, energetic and engaged community, where employees feel a sense of purpose and belonging, struggle to make it work. Our businesses and institutions are part of a global experiment with leaders and managers often looking to HR professionals for guidance and clarity.
Increased freedom and flexibility are seen as beneficial for most people. However, there are always unintended consequences. Some leaders are uncomfortable with increased employee autonomy and point to inconsistencies across the organisation and the potential for perceived unfairness. There are also concerns that as time goes on, disconnected working patterns and preferences will lead to worsening productivity and team effectiveness. Despite the apprehension however, most of the organisations in the study, titled; Rethinking Leadership for the Hybrid World of Work were striving towards a hybrid model of working, believing in the importance of the workplace to bring people together, balanced with the flexibility that comes with virtual working.
The research suggests that the key to establishing successful hybrid working practices and cultural norms lies with leaders and managers at all levels being able to develop new skills and navigate different conversations with their employees. They will need to understand and care about the real needs of employees and step into their crucial role as ‘connectors’ – connecting the needs and preferences of employees with those of the organisation and business. This requires aligning or integrating the purpose and passions of their people with the mission, purpose and productivity requirements of the organisation. It means leaders need to finely hone their relational and facilitation skills to enable a different type of relationship and a shift in patterns of workplace conversations. The study found that whilst many leaders are natural facilitators, many must learn and practice these skills before they feel comfortable.
The connecting leader works with employees and teams to co-design and evolve the hybrid workplace. This doesn’t mean there are no rules, or that employees have everything they want, but it does mean that leaders and employees must share responsibility for building trust and relationships and establish new agreed ways of working. Leaders must share their power and responsibility to evolve working models, spaces and cultures that support productivity and brand image, as well as employee engagement, health and wellbeing. Whilst evolving hybrid working toolkits can assist leaders and teams in their conversations and decision making going forward, there is also a clear need for development. Leaders and employees alike will need to develop the skills to share these responsibilities and be accountable for hybrid success. Being comfortable with the concept of ‘hybridity’ is also key. Employee development, for example, needs to be aligned to hybridity competence and work performance. Leaders and managers at all levels will need to become more focused on enabling employees to perform at their best, with outcomes, not activity, being the primary focus. The criticality of connecting with employees regularly to ‘check-in’ and to ask what support they need, must come to the fore. This also mean connecting accountability with recognition and rewarding the achievements and individual recognition preferences of employees.
An organisation’s culture is the most influential enabler of employees to do their best work. In this new world of work, reshaping culture must be everyone’s responsibility and every interaction must be used as an opportunity for culture making. This means that organisations must find ways to recognise and reward managers, leaders, teams and employees for culture[1]making work. In other words, those who are intentional about creating positive cultures. Those who role model the desired values and behaviours and encourage others to take responsibility, build quality relationships and set an example. Organisations will need to consider carefully which aspects of culture are worth preserving and which need to be recrafted to ensure the resilience, engagement and satisfaction employees need to do their best work.
Leaders and managers will need to learn to be ‘ambidextrous’ to navigate across the virtual and physical environment with ease. They will need to manage bias, think integratively and build complex relational skills to work skilfully with difference and balance the needs and aspirations of individual employees, teams and the organisation. This won’t always be easy, but without these new conversations leaders run the risk of making uninformed decisions and putting team engagement, employee well-being and productivity at risk. Leaders will also need to develop the facilitation skills necessary to navigate connection-focused conversations. This is important for ensuring employees are in tune with work expectations, but equally, that leaders are connected to their people’s aspirations and wellbeing. This ability to facilitate discussion both among teams and with individuals is the key skill for hybrid success. Leaders need to be comfortable with holding difficult conversations and managing employee expectations on issues, such as flexible working options or pay increases during today’s cost-of-living crisis. They also need the skills to enable an inclusive dialogue, in which everyone is given a voice, not least on how hybrid working might work for their team. Addressing power differences and potential conflict are other important considerations whilst remaining mindful of the need for a compassionate, collaborative approach.
Good facilitation means learning to apply structure and process to team interactions to maximise the collective contributions of the group. It is crucial that differences of opinion are aired, ideas are shared, options are critiqued and everyone works together to reach agreement. This requires a managerial mindset that is able to learn, share power and responsibility and to collaborate with people. But it additionally requires leaders to be visible, to develop rapport, build trust and create psychological safety. Leaders will also need a strong grasp on DEIB and wellbeing and social sustainability. These are top priorities as leaders navigate ‘the great resignation’ and a very competitive talent market. Organisations need sustainability strategies that give employees purpose, wellbeing strategies that are equitable and inclusive of diverse employees, as well as comprehensive DEI initiatives that deliver a consistent employee experience for everyone. At the same time leaders need to recognise that diverse employees experiences and needs in relation to wellbeing can differ dramatically. These strategies need to be in synchrony.
How will we know if hybrid working is a success? The skill is to identify the benefits and unintended consequences of hybrid working and focus on the measurable indicators that will let you know when you are well balanced. The following framework – adapted from Johnson 1998 – can act as a scorecard to help the organisation assess how well it is doing. HR professionals are well placed to help organisations create their own, tailored version. Step 1: List the benefits and unintended consequences of face-to[1]face working. Step 2: List the benefits and unintended consequences of virtual working. Step 3: Identify the measurable positive indicators (things you can count that will let you know that you are reaping the benefits of hybrid working. Step 4: Identify the measurable early warning indicators that will let you know that you are experiencing the downside of hybrid working. Step 5: Align on a dashboard of metrics that you can use to monitor whether hybrid working is in balance or starting to wobble off course. Hybrid Working is an opportunity to achieve the best of both the face-to-face and virtual working worlds. However, embracing the challenges and navigating the tensions so organisations can realise all the benefits will require focused tenacity. Successful leadership in a hybrid workplace will depend on the ability to think outside the box and look for opportunities.
REFERENCES *Hult International Business School
