Five tips on how to lead hybrid teams
More and more teams are working hybrid these days - sometimes in the office, sometimes remotely. This presents managers with new challenges: How does the team stay connected? How does the flow of information work? Leadership trainer Mario Müller gives five practical tips on how to achieve collaboration and team spirit in hybrid working environments.
The future of work is hybrid - making the design of corporate culture and relationships a decisive factor for success. Studies show: Especially in times of change and uncertainty, relationship-oriented leadership, trust, autonomy and team cohesion are crucial for productivity and motivation.
Employees stay if they can get involved and help shape things - not if they are controlled. Those who exemplify values, consistently invest in relationships and create space for collaboration make hybrid teams strong and companies crisis-proof. Because in a flexible, agile working world, it is stable relationships and genuine cohesion that make companies fit for the future.
Here are five practical tips to help you create the conditions for successful hybrid teams in your company:
1. increase networking density
The bonding forces that prevent your employees from leaving at the first attractive offer from the competition are created through contacts and informal exchanges. To prevent people in mobile or home offices from being left behind and becoming emotionally disconnected, they need regular video calls and conferences where they can see and hear each other.
Also set up online team events where private topics are also discussed. A private bond with the company can only develop if people there are also interested in private people and their lives and not just their work.
Set up a virtual coffee break in the weekly schedule where employees from the office and from the home office can meet regularly and exchange information informally so that there is no rift between those present and those absent.
"Burnout is an individual fate. But whether it happens depends only to a fraction on the workload. Research suggests that burnout is best tackled at an organizational and systemic level. This means that the company must also adapt to people, not just the other way around."Mario Müller , management trainer
2. ensure the flow of information
With hybrid working models, different information channels are intermingled today: Corridor radio, coffee kitchen conversations, video calls and team meetings run in parallel. This increases the risk that important information is assumed but not passed on to everyone.
Therefore, introduce a fixed status round in meetings in which key information is repeated and recorded so that nothing gets lost. Follow the Spotify method: network employees not only according to teams, but also according to projects, skills and interests. This keeps the exchange lively, avoids silos and strengthens the sense of unity.
After the pandemic, it is clear that it is no longer enough to just look at individual stress factors - now is the time to check how employees are really doing and how much psychological stress they are actually experiencing (1). Companies themselves are also being put to the test: how well have the organization and culture survived the crisis years? What needs to be adapted in order to remain resilient in the future?
Many people have reassessed their lives and their work. In 2020, more children were born in Germany than in 1998 (2). Worldwide, 41% of employees want to change employer within the next twelve months, and 48% are even considering a complete change of industry (3).
Salary now only plays a minor role - in surveys, it is only the seventh most important job factor (4). At the top of the list today are good management culture, appreciation and team cohesion . If you don't invest here, you will lose talent to the competition.
Companies are more transparent than ever thanks to evaluation platforms. A strong, active corporate culture is therefore not a "nice to have", but a crucial part of risk management and securing the future.
3. your management style: control is good - trust is better
Managers who rely on control and micromanagement are finding it increasingly difficult, as this does not serve the interests of either the employees or the company. Companies can only master complex tasks through teams that pool their skills and achieve more together than alone.
The main task of managers is to enable teams to work as independently and productively as possible. This requires trust and a willingness to relinquish authority - because control slows down processes and reduces motivation. Giving teams freedom promotes commitment, innovation and performance.
"Companies no longer choose people. People choose companies. Skills are continuing to shift from managers to teams. First and foremost, managers must optimize the cooperation of their teams and only understand enough about the matter at hand to be able to (help) make decisions. C-level management must exemplify values in order to remain credible." Mario Müller, management trainer
4. shared values in hybrid teams
Values and guiding principles on notice boards in the entrance area are useless if they are not practiced in day-to-day interaction. New employees quickly notice how things really are in the company - and whether values such as respect, appreciation and constructive cooperation are actually practised. Such values cannot be prescribed or faked; they are created through authentic behavior and a genuine attitude.
Managers are automatically role models: Their actions shape the team culture, not their words. Hybrid or digital teams in particular show whether there is real cohesion - a lack of solidarity or teamwork was often a problem even before the home office phase.
Building a strong culture always starts with yourself: Anyone who demands cohesion and values must also exemplify them themselves and regularly question themselves. Genuine teamwork and a healthy culture are the result of attitude and daily investment - and are not a sure-fire success.
"The younger generation in particular 'doesn't have a work-life balance and doesn't want one. Young people see work and productivity as an integral part of their lives, they 'also live at work' and are not prepared to endure arbitrary torment in order to live between office hours." Mario Müller, management trainer
5. introduce a retrospective, try it out and talk about it!
Many managers are now very open to change. As a manager, you can boldly take new steps with your team and find out together what impact certain measures have. Make use of the creative freedom you have. Experiments show that agile islands and value-based leadership can be established even in huge, sluggish hierarchical structures. Go into retrospective mode with your team at short intervals, for example every month, to look back together on the past few weeks.
It is also important to ask what needs individual employees have for personal exchange and contact, and to balance the form of cooperation accordingly.
Go into the retrospective with the following questions:
- How have we experienced the past few weeks of our collaboration?
- What has proved successful? What do we keep?
- What do we let go of?
- What are we adding?
Hybrid working is now standard - the benefits of mobile and virtual working are too great to pass up (5). Employees in Germany save an average of 24 days of commuting time per year (6). At the same time, personal contact remains important for trust and team cohesion. The optimal ratio between office and remote work is flexible and depends on the needs of the team, task and situation. A rigid model does not suit everyone - individual solutions are required.
Sources:
Our burnout moment is a good thing
Work Trend Index, Edelman Data x Intelligence
