4 Modes of Collaboration Are Key to Success in Hybrid Work

Recent Gartner research found that 71% of HR leaders are more concerned about employee collaboration this year than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. How valid are these concerns, and what needs to be done to protect and drive collaboration and innovation in today’s remote and hybrid working environments?

Source: 4 Modes of Collaboration Are Key to Success in Hybrid Work

It’s true that when employees aren’t physically colocated, their interactions are more scheduled than spontaneous — and interactions commonly occur through screens.

Visit now: The Gartner Future of Work Reinvented 

Employees don’t experience the happenstance, serendipitous interactions that might occur in an office. Even a simple social conversation with a co-worker can take effort.

“To unleash innovation in this context, leaders must empower employees to collaborate more intentionally,” says Alexia Cambon, Director, Research, Gartner. “Our research shows that teams of knowledge workers who collaborate intentionally are nearly three times more likely to achieve high team innovation than teams that do not use an intentional approach.”

Chart collaboration not just by location, but also by time spent 

In reality, employees have more options for when, where and how to collaborate in hybrid work environments, but organizations and their leaders have to intentionally create those opportunities. 

Gartner has identified four work modes that teams should intentionally leverage as they move into the hybrid environment.

Most organizations are thinking about hybrid work only in terms of location (whether teams are located or distributed), but Gartner research shows that organizations must also think about it in terms of timespend (whether teams are working asynchronously or synchronously).

Intentional Collaboration in a Hybrid World

This approach yields four work modes that organizations must invest equally in if they are to succeed in the hybrid environment:

  • Working together, together: when teams are colocated, contributing to meetings in a shared space.
  • Working together, apart: when teams are distributed, but participating in virtual meetings.
  • Working alone, together: when teams are in shared spaces, but not working at the same time.
  • Working alone, apart: when teams are distributed, and individuals are conducting deep focus work.

Democratize access to all four work modes, not just colocated ones 

Advertisements

At organizations that adopt a hybrid model, many employees flow between multiple work sites, including their homes, the office and third spaces (e.g., a library, coffee shop or co-working space).

Some employees may not have access to productive workspaces, which restricts their options. Others may work better from home. Overall, the workforce will benefit from the more inclusive options offered by hybrid work.

Limits on flexibility pose a real problem; Gartner research shows that two-thirds of employees report their expectations for working flexibly have increased since last year. 

Mitigating this issue means empowering employees to have equitable access to all work modes, especially given Gartner research that shows that different talent segments — whether it be personality types, generation or seniority — thrive differently in each mode. For many organizations, this will require a more intentional redesign of collaboration around the four work modes. 

For instance, HR and business leaders should together invest in improving the personalized worksites of employees who will continue to work from home at least some of the time (e.g., with ergonomic chairs, caregiver support or fitness memberships).

SaleBestseller No. 1
Samsonite Omni PC Hardside Expandable Luggage with Spinner Wheels, Checked-Medium 24-Inch, Teal
  • 24" SPINNER LUGGAGE maximizes your packing power...
  • PACKING Dimensions: 24” x 17.5” x 11.5”,...
  • 10 YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY: Samsonite products are...
  • MICRO-DIAMOND POLYCARBONATE texture is extremely...
  • SIDE-MOUNTED TSA LOCKS act to deter theft,...
SaleBestseller No. 2
Amazon Basics 24-Inch Hardside Spinner, Orange
  • 24-inch hardside spinner luggage for work travel,...
  • Reliable strength with extra-thick ABS hard shell,...
  • Easy to move with 4 double spinner wheels,...
  • Expandable for up to 15% more packing space;...
  • Product dimensions: 16.73 x 10.63 x 23.62 inches;...

For those who can’t easily access the office but enjoy working alongside peers, employers can subsidize memberships to co-working spaces. Organizations must also offer guidance on the use cases and advantages of each work mode so that employees know when and how to use each most effectively.

Rebalance synchronous and asynchronous work

Advertisements

Gartner research shows that the majority of HR leaders believe that synchronous modes — such as meetings and presentations — are the most important means of driving innovation. This is why many organizations have invested heavily in improving their virtual meeting technologies over the course of the pandemic.

Gartner data shows, however, that asynchronous work modes are just as important to achieving team innovation as synchronous modes.

Over the past year, in the primarily remote work environment, employees have relied on video calls to collaborate, often resulting in back-to-back meetings and fatigue and putting them at risk for burnout. In fact, HR leaders recognize this threat — with three out of four agreeing that an increase in the number of virtual touchpoints employees face in their work puts them at risk for burnout. 

This overreliance on synchronous modes has resulted in adverse impacts on employee health. And few organizations are investing in asynchronous modes, with only 17% implementing no-meeting days and only 11% providing dedicated mental health days.

“Our insistence on making synchronous work the default is inherited from a prior era where asynchronous tools were not built for speed and efficiency,” says Cambon. “We must reset how we leverage all the work modes available to us.”

Advertisements

This reset involves three critical steps:

  1. Limit synchronous work to its most necessary function. Encourage teams to set core collaboration blocks, limited to a small number of hours. 
  2. Ensure that leaders are role modeling flexibility. Be explicit about the benefits of collaborating more intentionally in ways that incorporate both work and life needs.
  3. Let employees design their work week around when work happens best for them, not just from 9–5 or via linear scheduling.

Hybrid teams show greater agility, psychological safety and equity than on-site teams 

Organizations must set up teams for success in the new hybrid environment. Data from the Gartner 2021 Hybrid Work Employee Survey shows that for the knowledge worker population:

  • Hybrid teams show greater agility: 70% of hybrid employees agreed they adapt the structure of their meetings based on the intended outcome versus only 49% of on-site employees. 
  • Hybrid teams show greater psychological safety: 66% of hybrid employees reported feeling comfortable taking risks in their role compared to 47% of their on-site counterparts. 
  • Hybrid teams show greater intentionality: 67% of hybrid employees agreed their team is skilled at working asynchronously compared with 56% of on-site employees.
  • Hybrid teams show greater equity: 69% of hybrid employees reported that their teammates accommodate their working preferences compared to 54% of on-site employees.
New
artrips Checked Luggage 24 inch,Medium Suitcase with 8 Spinner Wheels,PC Lightweight Hardside Luggage with Cover Protector,Stripe Pattern Design,TSA Lock,Purple,55L
  • 【PC Hardside Light Weight Luggage&Size】Made of...
  • 【Large Packing Capacity】 artrips Hardside...
  • 【Safety】The TSA lock ensures the safety of the...
  • 【8 Silent 360°Spinner Wheels】 8 silent...
  • 【Checked Luggage with Stripe Pattern Design】...
New
GizmoSynth 24in Luggage Suitcase with Spinner Wheels, Expandable Travel Suitcase with Cup Holder & USB Port & Phone Holder
  • 【Convenient Front Opening Cover】The front open...
  • 【Built-in USB Port】The Travel Luggage Suitcase...
  • 【Multifunctional Holder Design】Carry-On...
  • 【With Lock & Anti Noise Wheel】Mounted...
  • 【Superb Durable Material】The suitcase ABS+PC...
New
FocusOnHome Luggage Set 4 pcs (20"/24"/29"/Travel Bag), PC+ABS Durable Lightweight Luggage with Collapsible Cup Holder, 360° Silent Spinner Wheels, TSA Lock, Gray
  • The four-piece luggage set includes a travel bag,...
  • The luggage is made of ABS+PC hard shell material,...
  • Luggage installed with TSA locks, convenient for...
  • Reinforced corners protect against impacts, so you...
  • Quiet 360° swivel silent wheels and 2-step...

Team collaboration in the hybrid environment will require careful navigating, and organizations stand to gain greater levels of innovation if they do so intentionally.

“Intentional collaboration is a journey, not a destination, and all levels of the business must take an active role in setting the organization on a course for success,” says Cambon.

The post 4 Modes of Collaboration Are Key to Success in Hybrid Work appeared first on Smarter With Gartner.