More than a year after the pandemic’s global debut, physical interaction is slowly resuming to workplaces in different parts of the world. However, hybrid work is here to stay, as remote and virtual work will continue for many. Now is a good time for executives to start planning what their hybrid organizations will look like, and how to manage them.
4 Imperatives for Managing in a Hybrid World
As more and more companies turn to a hybrid model of work more than a year into the Covid-19 pandemic, what challenges are leaders likely to face when managing people both in the office and remotely? Interviews with 38 executives in Nordic countries point to four main tensions. First, the virtual world does not treat roles and tasks equally, something that spans from how different levels of management experience hybrid work to who gets access to high-end video technology. Second, nuances between people matter even more, both in formal meetings and in everyday interactions. Third, strong central guidance is a must in holding a more nimble and dispersed organization together. And finally, crisis-proof processes must be revisited and adapted to take advantage of what a hybrid organization has to offer.