High Performance Hybrid Teams in the “Endemic Era”
It's a new Dawn!
And it offers a unique opportunity to create competitive advantage.
Post Pandemic WorkPlaces are places where people connect and collaborate to achieve outcomes they can't achieve alone.
Whilst it's one thing to work as a team, it's another, to become a High Performance (Hybrid) Team and it’s clear, both leaders and teams need to learn the skills to become a consistently High Performance (Hybrid) Team.
What’s also becoming increasingly clear, is The Great Resignation is real for many businesses, with the cost of replacing talent requiring a significant premium.
People are re-evaluating their Physical and Psychological Contract with work and leadership.
Which WorkPlace Model Enables the Highest Performance?
Currently, there's a mix of views and options:
Remote only (a favourite option for the IT sector);
4-5 days in the office;
2-3 days in the office (fast becoming the strongest preference);
"always in the office";
"all roles flex" and
4 day weeks.
In a bid to create a connected culture based on face to face interactions, some companies are setting expectations of between 2 & 4 days in the office, notably Australia's big banks*.
Are Leaders and Team Members Aligned?
Team members aren't as keen as leaders in coming back to the office. In their mind, they’ve proven they're adults capable of being accountable and working autonomously.
However, Leaders have a stronger preference, for the benefits of the office and the connections it creates.
In the last 2 years, Leaders have experienced the same personal challenges as their team members, with additional requirements:
achieving results for their leaders above,
enabling relationships with customers, and
supporting the engagement, wellbeing and performance of their team members.
Perhaps it's not surprising leaders are feeling overwhelmed, and have a preference for returning to the office where everything feels more within 'arms reach'.*
What Guidance does the High Performance Teams Research offer?
Team Communication and Composition are 2 of the most important factors in determining team performance.
Communication Mediums Matter!
is there a "magic mix" of in-person vs. remote communication?
"[t]he most valuable form of communication is face to face.
Email and text are the least valuable”*
Whilst the study* referenced above was conducted prior to the "Great Covid Working from Home Experiment", its message is well taken. Most of us agree video communication doesn't readily enable interpretive nuances, or offer the same degree of psychological safety (particularly when recorded), as face2face interactions.
Which means today's challenge is navigating and negotiating the right mix, of remote vs in person connection for your team.
Given the competing priorities of Leaders and Teams, how can Hybrid balance the "We vs. Me" equation?
Balancing We vs. Me
Teams achieve results individuals can't, but Individuals can be more productive alone. Which means leaders and teams need to balance the tension by asking themselves some key questions:
On what topics do we need meet as a team?
As Face to face is more effective, when can we all convene in the office?
In what circumstances are we better to work alone?
The amount of time we carve out for working at home will be driven by the type of work we do, in addition to our personal preferences for in-person connection.
Logically, teams need to co-create core hours for face to face communication and collaboration.
Uncover Unique Needs!
Leaders and teams would also do well to have a curious conversation about their unique needs.
Some common themes are listed below.
Leaders fear being disconnected from their teams whilst team members fear being left out of decisions, opportunities, promotions etc...
Carers fear being required to juggle the 'always on' dynamic at home and at work, whereas singles (of any life stage) welcome the opportunity to experience connection.
Many Younger Gens are asking "why do I need to come to the office"?, whereas the Experienced Gens may be looking forward to collaborating in person.
Beware the Stereotypes!
The goal is to understand everyone's unique and individual ideal needs.
If you don't want to inadvertently trade one suboptimal workplace design for another, consciously co-create your new WorkPlace and ensure the voices of everyone equally are heard and valued.
Team Composition creates Competitive Advantage
Diverse Teams (with inclusive cultures) perform better than Homogenous Teams, because the diversity of perspectives create high performance in teams.
Hybrid offers clear advantages for everyone, but these are magnified for those from under-represented demographics.
Under-represented groups often face a longer commute due to less accumulated family wealth* and Hybrid is less exhausting because it requires less "covering" and increases wellbeing.
Hybrid also comes with the flexibility to "parallel-process" other important aspects of your life, which is a necessity for carers for example.
Hybrid WorkPlaces create strategic advantage by accessing previously hidden talent pools.
Today's Unique Opportunity
Today we have a unique opportunity to attract and retain our unfair share of high value under-represented talent.
Why is under-represented talent high value?
If your team is like most in Australia today, you likely have a sprinkling of diversity in your team. Which means Hybrid offers a unique opportunity to do more than just incrementally iterate your way towards equal representation in the next 10 or more years.
There is an uncommon opportunity to make a step change towards adopting a conscious business strategy which delivers high value returns (and is good for social cohesion).
Authentically Hybrid WorkPlaces offer the opportunity to:
attract hidden talent pools;
retain high value under-represented perspectives;
optimise productivity by selecting the workplace based on the work;
enable collective cultures.
High Performance (Hybrid) Teams will be those which maximise the benefits & mitigate the risks of Hybrid, becoming attractive to under-represented talent.