Leading Hybrid Teams

The new normal starts now with teams split across locations - at home, in an office, and a mix of the two.

The BBC asked 50 of the U K’s biggest employers what their future plans are. 43 of the firms said they would embrace a mix of home and office working, with staff encouraged to work from home two to three days a week.

If you asked each of the people on your team whether they want to be back in the office full-time (and they answer you truthfully) you’ll likely get a mixed response. Our experiences of working remotely have been unique. Depending on personality and situation each individual will view the return to the office with joy, despair or somewhere in between.

The challenge

During my years working in the Tech industry I led teams that were located in the same office, teams that were completely virtual, and THE most challenging, the hybrid team - some people in the office most days, some always working remotely, and some in between.

The challenge with any team is to maintain/develop productivity, ensuring the individuals and the team have purpose, motivation, and belonging. With hybrid teams it’s easy for cliques to form and individuals to feel excluded, a lack of understanding to develop on who’s doing what when, and for trust to disappear. All of which can mean your key talent leaves, your team’s productivity takes a dive, and the organisation's success is impacted.

So where do you start to ensure your team doesn’t disintegrate?

There are four parts to the puzzle to review and, perhaps, change approach - the organisation, your leadership, the team, the individuals.

The Organisation

In his recent article Eric J McNulty talks of organizations and the constant flux that they experience which ‘makes culture impossible to dictate from the top, ... culture is less a matter of following a recipe than mastering the craft of baking so you spot challenges and opportunities early and are able to adapt’.

A lot of organisations have articulated their culture but is it living and breathing, and meaningful to all the workforce? Does the leadership live up to the culture? What are the measurements that show that it is in place?

Take another look at the words. Are they being put into action?

Your Leadership

There is a quote from Clint Eastwood on leadership “It’s not about you. It’s about them.” I hate to say it but Clint is wrong. It is about you. (He is also right, see ‘the individuals’).

How you lead is key.

There are three things that sound simple, however they need to be applied consistently.

• Listen - you hear the facts and the data but do you also hear and appreciate the emotion behind the words? Do you hear what’s not being said? Are you aware of your set of filters and judgements? We all have them. It takes awareness and practice to notice and then truly listen.

• Ask questions - make them open and short. Be curious.

• Focus - we’re busy and pretend we can multi-task. We can’t. We know when someone isn’t focused on us. So make the time, clear the space, turn notifications off and your phone(s) over and FOCUS. You’ll have more impact on the other person.

It’s a coaching approach to leadership that will deliver greater engagement. Less telling what to do and providing answers, more asking questions, supporting and facilitating.

The Team

What’s your observation of the changes in the team over the past year? Have you had a conversation with the team on how they want to be with each other? How do they want to work together? Work with other teams? What do they want to be known for? Agreeing the ‘how we want to be’ will speed the execution.

Agree an alliance, and then use it day-to-day. It will allow the team to work more smoothly through opportunities and challenges.

There are formal and informal roles in each team. The formal roles are the ones that are laid out in a job description. The informal roles are those that are not written but are adopted over time. For example, is there someone that always takes notes in team meetings, or is the time keeper, or team clown? Over the past year has someone got fed up with that informal role? How has that impacted the team dynamic?

Have an open conversation with the team and individuals - get things out in the open. Don't assume. Ask.

The Individuals

‘There is no I in teams’. Oh yes there is. Each individual is key in a successful team.

Do you know and understand each person in your team? What motivates them? What is their purpose? What is their work style, including what location is best? What information do they need? How should your leadership style adapt so that you can work with them effectively?

Review these four elements of the puzzle and you’ll have a basis to successfully lead the new normal of teams, wherever the individuals are located.