What To Be or Not To Be – That Is The Question

There has been a great deal of discussion and debate in the workplace community about hybrid working – what is it and how should people/organisations do it or not do it, etc.

However this is not the right question. So is it any wonder that many don’t feel they have the answer.

The question leaders within each organisation needs to actually ask is “what type of organisation do they want to be – how do they want to be thought of – how do they want to be perceived by others?”

Hybrid working is an operating model, NOT a workspace/workplace design. Therefore, like all operating models, before you decide which is the best fit for the organisation and its people, you need to know what it is you are trying to achieve and why. Too many leaders get focused on the micro elements and issues and considering there are so many different micro elements affecting the business at the moment, is it any wonder that then there is a feeling of paralysis – a real struggle to make decisions, not just in the workspace but in other areas, as well.

Whereas, if leaders are clear as to what direction they are heading and what they are ultimately trying to achieve (in other words, what is the over-arching vision), then the decision making for the micro elements become a great deal easier. But the vision needs to be clear and definitive. For example, it is not enough to say the vision is “To be the market leading xyz” because that does not actually mean anything. What does it look and feel like to be the market leading xyz? How is this different to the current status quo? What makes this unique to others? What do people, specifically, need to do differently.

Furthermore, why the vision is the right vision for the organisation also needs to be defined and this needs to be well beyond the management spiel of ‘efficiencies and effectiveness.’ Whenever an organisation is changing and/or adopting a different operating model, people need to understand what difference this is going to make to their lives, what is needed for them to do things differently and why they should care and hence make the change in the first place. Therefore using the ‘end person in mind’ approach is critical to understanding how people are feeling and thinking about life, much less work and the potential change. This gives a clear indication of the impact and of the change, thus enabling the right change plans (including stakeholder engagement, communication, training, reinforcement, resistance plans, etc).

Lastly for a change, such as a new operating model like hybrid working, to actually become a reality, a network of influencing people across the organisation at different levels needs to be actively and visibly supporting and encouraging the change. This includes having an executive sponsor, i.e. CEO or Managing Director of the organisation, clearly prioritising and championing the change to ensure the senior leaders are supporting and resourcing the change as a priority. Not to mention the fact that a network of influencers at team level across the different business areas are required to help galvanise the workforce behind the change by giving them access and the ability to ask questions, promote the change and raise concerns; along with the support network within the project team, whether this be full or part time.

So when it comes to the question as to what is hybrid working at ‘abc’ organisation and how should we design, plan, create policies, etc around it, you need to stop and first ask “what type of organisation do we want to be” because only then will you be able to answer the hybrid question correctly for your specific organisation.