In my previous post (Messier, 2022), I referred to a change initiative involving the implementation of a hybrid work environment. Prior to the implementation of a future of work environment, the organization had to consider a transition plan that would include various factors such as core days, intentional presence during these core days, onsite/online collaboration, etc. The goals were communicated from the leadership team on how to develop a work experience in which the business can still deliver on their strategic goals such as continue to develop talent, nurture a connected culture, and enable individual flexibility. These goals were the basis of the project plan, specifically the in-person expectations framework which included description of in-person expectation, core days and leadership expectations. A SWOT analysis was conducted to understand potential threats and challenges as well as an employee survey to uncover any potential barriers. From my own experience with change initiative, especially when restructuring a work environment, the planning should consider what may backfire and how to address potential issues through a system thinking methodology similarly to the one from Senge et al. (1994). Change like moving to a hybrid workforce will have some backfiring from employees who have been accustomed to a level of flexibility from remote work and are now expecting flexibility at work permanently from their employer. I deal with this challenge regularly with employees who are resigning because they do not want to go back to an office full time. An additional barrier with a hybrid environment is the implementation of synchronous collaboration practices for onsite and virtual attendees. As part of the project plan, it is important to have a communication plan that will establish efficient team communication during these interactive meetings (Watt, 2014) such as guiding principles for purposeful connections. Another barrier is the impact on the organizational culture. As part of a project management plan, identifying stakeholders, organizational communication preference, and how things are communicated (i.e., emails, social media, forum) will alleviate some of the challenges. In my practice, I have used the SWOT analysis, leadership assessment, organizational assessment, stakeholder impact assessment, employee readiness assessment, and storytelling amongst other change management tools and resources. As a leader, I have leveraged for many years the WHAT and HOW from Senge et al. (1994) to communicate what the change is and how it will be implemented. It has been an effective approach for many change projects I have participated in my role of Human Resources & Communication leader.
References:
Messier, S. (2022, February 20). External Scan. Stephanie’s Blog: A MALAT Student. https://malat-webspace.royalroads.ca/rru0225/assignment-1-external-scan/
Senge, P. M., Kleiner, A., Roberts, C., Ross, R. B., Smith, B. J. (1994). The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook. Doubleday.
Watt, A. (2014). Project Management. Victoria, BC: BCcampus. https://opentextbc.ca/projectmanagement/
March 7, 2022 at 7:40 pm
Thanks for this Stephanie! Of the “SWOT analysis, leadership assessment, organizational assessment, stakeholder impact assessment, employee readiness assessment, and storytelling” that you identified, which one do you feel is the most versatile, especially in the hybrid world we live in now? I’m finding that the skills we used to use more are less useful now, but others have proven more adaptable.
March 8, 2022 at 4:43 pm
Hi Corie, thanks for your question. All of them can be conducted virtually. In fact I just did an online organizational readiness audit recently for a client and the results will be shared through Zoom using Canva. I still do leadership assessment virtually and report out via Zoom or Team. SWOT analysis can also be conducted online, although I have used this tool more so in strategic planning sessions. Storytelling is the one that I believe may be more versatile because you can either create a video, text, presentation or synchronous meeting to share the story. However, all of them can be done either virtually or onsite, either part of it or in its entirety.
March 9, 2022 at 2:23 pm
Hi Stephanie, thanks for sharing. When you mentioned synchronous collaboration practices, has there been any particular strategies/policies that have worked well so far in a hyrbid context? I know in my context there is some development of hybrid flexible or hyflex spaces specifically designed to better enable synchronous sessions through various sources, but this is quite resource heavy. I’ve personally found it challenging on occasion to engage with a group present in person while you connect onto a screen in the room. Thanks, Zac
March 11, 2022 at 7:49 pm
Hi Zac, thanks for your question and sharing your experience with a dual onsite and offsite engagement. I worked in global roles when I was corporate and it came down to being disciplined with setting up an agenda as well as engaging facilitation skills. Everyone on the team had a role to play in meetings, and we switched roles so everyone had a chance to facilitate, plan the agenda, takes minutes, asking questions/probing, etc. We also used a decision matrix to ensure a smooth decision making process as well as a 5 minutes debrief at the end of each meeting to evaluate the efficiency of our meetings. In delegating specific tasks, and switching roles, the collaboration amongst team members worked well. I’ve adopted many of these practices in my own business and it is working well. I think if everyone is trained well on how to conduct effective meetings and facilitation skills, collaboration will come naturally. Lencioni has a good book, Death by meetings, from which I adopted a few meeting management practices. I’m also listening to the Collaboration Superpowers podcast on Spotify that provides good tips on building blocks of hybrid collaboration and I’m always surprised at the simplicity of these practices or recommended digital tools. Hope that answers your question!