Jessica Guistolise, Evangelist, Lucid Software
Hybrid work policies continue to iterate as companies look to firmly establish what a post-pandemic way of working entails. This is done in many ways. Some companies mandate specific days to be in the office in the hopes that in-person collaboration thrives. Others are finding ways to forge connections in virtual or hybrid settings, whether it’s through stacked calendars of virtual meetings on remote days or through Slack or Teams channels dedicated to certain topics.
Some companies may be afraid of stagnation when everyone is remote or hybrid. But we’ve seen teams succeed in these environments, and because they have been successful it’s no surprise that they want to continue to work in ways that both foster creativity and collaboration as well as personal wellbeing.
With 77% of UK companies having a hybrid working model, maintaining productivity is a top priority. It’s important that businesses show confidence in their teams so people feel empowered to work in ways that best suit them while delivering high-impact work. To do so, organisations can start by identifying any inefficiencies in collaboration and alignment and then develop a plan to address it.
Long existing collaboration challenges
Many businesses continue to operate with either an overwhelming or stale array of tools, technologies, and processes, and often, people are not fully trained to best optimise them. This leads to a build-up of redundant tools and a lack of streamlined information and clarity around priorities and goals.
And when teams are misaligned, productivity is ultimately hindered. For example, our Hybrid Work Whiplash Survey found that 38% of UK entry level workers use between 3-4 productivity applications, but only 29% overall in the UK are provided with hybrid collaboration training. Therefore, it is no surprise that significant gaps are appearing between what software companies buy and what is providing a benefit. In fact, 30% of UK employees don’t think the ownership of tasks in teams is clear, and concerningly, nearly two fifths (39%) report that some projects fail to meet their objectives as a result.
Some leaders might attribute these challenges to the transition to hybrid work, but this goes to show the detriment of not cracking hybrid work. When people were in the office five days a week, businesses still prioritised the quantity of interactions over quality and overlooked what effective collaboration really means. While meetings are essential to working together, many find that if their teams weren’t aligned in the first place, they end up in repetitive, invaluable follow-ups.
Leaders and managers should instead be capitalising on new approaches and ways of working to support the many collaboration styles that exist in and around an office to make hybrid work effective. This can be done by identifying which applications enable people to share and streamline ideas in real-time or asynchronously – in other words at any time that works for the given person.
Aligning through a common visual language
To encourage team productivity, leaders can build an intentional asynchronous collaboration strategy that uses visuals to align teams quicker. Visual collaboration acts as a universal language. It enhances the clarity of communication and minimising misunderstandings caused by text in email or other communication channels and non-standardised ways of working across different workspaces.
This can be approached by introducing a visual workflow that enables teams to collaborate both in real-time and asynchronously. Selecting the right tools and techniques are imperative to providing the context teams need to make decisions and keep work moving forward, minimising the need for unnecessary meetings. Integrating these capabilities seamlessly into existing workflows empowers teams to enhance productivity, streamline communication, and foster deeper collaboration without disrupting their established processes.
Becoming more mindful of how we work
We have seemingly reached a hybrid working compromise much to the satisfaction of many employees. However, achieving team alignment, and other work processes crucial for productivity, still need attention. To combat siloes that have plagued hybrid working, businesses can introduce techniques and technologies that enable effective brainstorming, planning, and community building – and importantly, solutions that work well for those employees using them at times that suit them. With better organisation and workflow practices that prioritise visual collaboration, businesses can overcome the alignment problem and improve productivity from any location.
