A fresh study by McKinsey resulted in the fact that 90% of organizations will adopt some combination of remote and on-site work as they emerge from safety restrictions. This is a 180-degree change, not just a simple adaptation to our now traditional “zoom or teams meeting” where everyone was online. Hybrid is a new model that will bring with it a dramatic change in how we work and meet — a hybrid mix of in-person attendees and remote meeting participants seems an inevitable element of our “new normal.
Shall this be a face-to-face or online or hybrid meeting?
You and your team need to make new decisions as a team. In a Post-Pandemic world the traditional “because I am the boss” or “because I say-so” styles are outdated. Employees have more to say since they now know what it entitles to work fully from home, compared to commuting, raising productivity from home, or any physical space. If you all decide to schedule a meeting think through in advance how you can make it as efficient and effective as possible. That means considering your intent for the meeting, establishing your desired outcomes, and preparing any materials that you should review or send out in advance.
With the right decision-making process, you can radically reduce the number of meetings you attend and increase the amount of work that gets done.
A Harvard guide you may consider “Goal Complexity and Goal Accomplishment scales” when scheduling a meeting and deciding on the format, based on the nature and relevance of the consequences/decisions made in that meeting. Conclusion the higher complexity and goal accomplishment are, the better it is to have an in-person meeting (conflict mediation, leadership development, team building, group forming, etc) and then status meetings, emergency meetings, and reporting are recommended to be done online or hybrid mode.
One of the biggest risks of not being able to determine the right format or even from badly managed hybrid meetings is that not everyone will have the same chance to contribute, stay visible, and to be productive at all levels, due to the format or management style.
As we move forward to the next phase in this post-pandemic world, hybrid meetings will become a permanent part of how organizations function. This will bring added complexity at the same time that our collective Covid-driven year of meeting virtually raised expectations for remote participation. Your managers will need:
- a new skillset
- more and better hardware/software solutions and the knowledge to master them
- patience and resilience
- to overcome bias and poor management practices, to make those meetings fair, equal, and productive.
Fortunately, by leveraging technology and tools, being thoughtful in meeting design, and providing strong facilitation we can create hybrid meetings where all participants — whether in the room or miles away — everyone feels engaged, valued, equal and productive.
Do you want to know how to step up and lead now in a new hybrid world? let’s talk. moc.relleumaleirbag@ofni
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