How to Effectively Manage Hybrid Teams

As our latest Hybrid Working Index data shows, hybrid work models are now becoming the norm. Across the globe, employees are spending around 1.75 days per week working remotely on average. While this flexibility is welcomed by many workers, it also presents new management challenges. Leading a virtual or hybrid team requires different skills than leading a fully co-located one. 

In this article, we will talk about managing hybrid and virtual teams effectively. The information comes from research we found in a 2020 article. The basics are still important after four years. Companies must now prioritise these insights as they shift to long-term hybrid work. This transition is more crucial than ever. 

In 2015, we worked with the Center for Evidence Based Management (CEBMa) to study the factors that affect virtual team performance. The research focused on identifying the factors that truly impact how well virtual teams perform. After reviewing over 750 global research studies, six key factors emerged as pillars for creating a psychologically safe virtual environment where teams can thrive: 

1. Social cohesion 
2. Perceived supervisory support
3. Information sharing  
4. Vision and goal clarity
5. External communication
6. Trust

Among these factors, trust, social cohesion, and information sharing face the biggest hurdles in a virtual setting compared to co-located teams. Let’s dig into why these are so crucial. 

Positive work relationships are built upon trust, which serves as the foundation. When teammates trust each other, they feel comfortable sharing sensitive information and ideas without fear of judgement or insults. This mutual trust in each other’s competence, reliability and supportiveness enhances confidence and improves collaboration. 

Building emotional trust is more challenging in a virtual environment due to limited face-to-face interaction and bonding opportunities. You have to consciously cultivate trust. 

Building strong relationships and a positive team dynamic is harder to achieve when working remotely. In an office, casual chats and shared experiences help people feel comfortable being more open and collaborative. Hybrid teams must be proactive about creating those relationship-building moments. 

When teams aren’t co-located, information sharing can easily break down. Without impromptu conversations and the ability to quickly gather in-person, we silo knowledge and lose context. Team members can struggle to stay aligned and make decisions without that free flow of information. 

Skilled virtual leaders can still provide perceived supervisor support, vision/goal clarity, and external communication. This can be more challenging without face-to-face interactions.

Clearly, the hybrid and virtual environment puts extra strain on the drivers of high team performance. But with the right practises in place, hybrid and remote teams can still excel. Here are five proven tips for virtual team managers: 

1. Establish clear processes for communication and information sharing. Use the right technologies and cadences to ensure complete transparency and alignment across the team. 
2. Proactively build social bonds through virtual coffee breaks, team-building activities, and personal check-ins. Create safe spaces for people to open up.
3. Set a cohesive vision and goals that everyone can rally behind. Tie individual work back to the broader objectives frequently.
4. Be an engaged, supportive leader. Build trusted relationships through listening, providing feedback, removing roadblocks, and leading by example.
5. Facilitate cross-pollination of ideas and thinking by bringing in external experts, learning opportunities, and diverse perspectives.

Virtual teams can achieve high levels of performance, cohesion, and trust with the right hybrid working strategy and discipline. 

Want to learn more about how to excel at virtual team leadership and collaboration? Check out our virtual team training workshops. Contact us to learn how our workplace strategy consultants can improve your hybrid working model.