The Future of Hybrid Work is a Balancing Act

Takeaways from our Leaders’ Chats with Phil LeNir, CoachingOurselves

We had a very lively discussion with Phil LeNir from CoachingOurselves and a number of participants across different functions and industries in our last Leaders’ Chats event-

The Evolution of Hybrid Work: From the 2000s to the Pandemic Era

Recapturing the development of earlier steps of virtual team collaboration or distant leadership or telework (earlier terms) from the late 90ies until the pandemic and today, Phil LeNir cherished the freedom to work remotely as an important personal value. He conceded that this reflects a personal bias and encouraged leaders to reflect on their biases regarding working from home versus an office. 

The Current State: Somewhere In-Between

Whatever models worked during the pandemic and immediately afterward led to adjustments. Still, the frameworks installed now are mostly somewhere “in-between,” with many companies having a concept in place but not finalized.

In the discussion, we all shared different experiences and current challenges. We identified several specific tensions that have arisen in the current post-pandemic phase of being in-between something, with most organizations not having arrived at a stable stage yet (see also Linda Grattons (2023) drawing from Kurt Lewin’s change model to make sense of our current state of in-between as one that is unfrozen but not yet back to a new frozen).

Various studies report a divide between management and employees, with the leaders lacking trust and employees claiming trust and striving for more flexibility.

What we have known for decades regarding virtual leadership and team collaboration has become evident to mainstream leadership is that hybrid work models put more strain on organizing, culture, building, leadership, and measures to grow engagement and belonging. Participants mirrored the mood spectrum: some favored the “take-the-best-of-both-approaches” and were content with how they could make it work, while others felt a lack of acknowledgment in their organizations that something was missing.

In North America, we can see a pendulum swinging back with Zoom calling its employees back to the office. Zoom, yes, Zoom!

One participant shared their job search experience where many employers struggle and almost force their employees back to the office. Others almost returned to their pre-pandemic setup, working as part of a classic global team that collaborates remotely by definition, be it from the office or home.

Several reflected on their current work model’s apparent and concrete downsides, stating that people feel disconnected, working on islands, and lacking in reconnecting with their networks. Employers are searching for ways to get the connection back. At the same time, there is a younger workforce generation who never knew work before COVID-19 and seem not to know what to miss. They may still love an intense personal face-to-face experience onboarding organizations and new teams or feel overwhelmed by the multiple platforms and options for how to work.

We surely need more nuancing on all ends.

The Role of Leadership in Hybrid Work

No one questioned how crucial face-to-face communication has remained. At the same time, we all agreed there was no return to a pre-pandemic past for office life. While there is no one-fits-all solution for hybrid work despite the dominant preference for a 2-3 working from home model, Phil LeNir stressed a deciding success factor to keep adapting the model as technology evolves. Last but not least, Phil stressed the need to invest in leadership development to support the leaders with these challenging new contexts and requirements.

A Dynamic Future of Hybrid Work

It is a conscious (!) balancing act for leaders – balancing different opposing forces, points of view, positions, needs, etc. – to find a suitable hybrid work model and change if needed. With the changing demographics, even with AI innovations, the talent market has given employees more power compared to earlier decades. In the end, leadership is about integrating opposing needs and forces. Employees ask for flexibility and more freedom. The organization needs to get the work done efficiently and at a high-quality level while fostering engagement, work relationships, and identity with the firm. 

Closing Thoughts:

The more significant challenge for leaders is the question: What is tomorrow’s work that needs to be done by people and not machines?