Hybrid team leadership

COVID-19 changed office work and as a result many organizational leaders and employees are looking towards hybrid work in which some of work takes place in the office and some work takes place remotely. Here are some key strategies for effective hybrid leadership:  

1. Establish and support flexible work processes. Employees need resources and support to be effective both in and out of the office and they need to have clear communication regarding their workplace plans.
2. Be clear about communication practices and emphasize remote first communication. Whether employees are in the office or remote, everyone needs to be on the same page.
3. Use the right tool for the task at hand. For example, email is never a useful tool for complex decision making.
4. Ask for feedback. Make space for team feedback and address team needs.
5. Intentionally emphasize and monitor team development. Culture development can be more complicated with hybrid schedules, but it can work.
6. Regularly connect synchronously. Taking time to be together at the same time gives everyone the confidence and trust needed for asynchronous work.
7. Plan for meeting productivity. When everyone is together, plan for success and make the time count.
8. Reward achievements. Recognize and celebrate when hybrid work is working.

These hybrid leadership ideas are a good starting point for organizational leaders and managers attempting to move into a hybrid environment. For more explanation, read Mitchell, A. & Brewer, P. E. (2021 online, in press). Leading hybrid teams: Strategies for realizing the best of both worlds. Organizational Dynamics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2021.100866