The so-called return to the office is not an end. It’s a new beginning as the future becomes hybrid.
Most organizations are opting for a mix of in-office and remote work, which may be an even more complicated and challenging proposition than the sudden plunge two years ago into a remote world. It requires balancing individuals in different environments and rethinking habits about meetings.
One-on-ones will be vital. Not just scheduled ones, although managers will have to reconsider the frequency of those. But also the unscheduled ones, meeting colleagues in the hallways or having them drop unexpectedly into your office. If interactions with certain colleagues in the office are reduced, those that happen will be more important. Managers – often in a rush to do something – will need to slow down and immerse themselves deeply in such conversations rather than viewing them as an inconvenience.
But that’s an extension of existing skills (or failures). Hybrid meetings will be new for most managers. They are complex. Some people may be in a room – or, indeed, gathered together in different rooms at different sites – while others might be video conferencing in and still others are on the phone. Zoom meetings could be draining.
In the coming era, as meeting participants need to pay attention to more than colleagues casually arrayed around the same boardroom table or Zoom screen, the cognitive load could become intense. That’s what former Emmy-winning producer and now consultant Karin Reed and University of Utah professor Joseph Allen warn in their book, Suddenly Hybrid.
Their research suggests hybrid meetings, when done well by organizations, draw high marks. The meetings are rated just as satisfying as face-to-face gatherings, although somewhat below video sessions. When it comes to participation – the feeling of the attendees that they were able to adequately contribute their opinions and thoughts – hybrid meetings come out on top, significantly above video and face-to-face.
Counterproductive behaviours such as complaining, multi-tasking, running off topic, monologues and non-essential conflict seem less prevalent, according to research. And transition time to recover between meetings seems reduced.
One wouldn’t want to depend too heavily on such research: Those are hard factors to evaluate with just people’s impressions and the studies were at a time when hybrid meetings were uncommon, so perhaps more carefully staged by organizations choosing them. But the results are hopeful.
The research links perceived meeting effectiveness with participation. That’s true of all formats, but it seems even more important in hybrid meetings. And participation flows from the leader. If that person encourages people to speak up – for example, carefully going round-robin through each participant – it pays off. The authors say the biggest challenge for any hybrid-meeting leader is to move the virtual attendees from their default position of passive observers.
Rule 1: Start with the people outside the meeting room, allowing them to speak first. The instinct will be to do the opposite, of course. The people in the room will seem like the real meeting attendees, the others ancillary. Make them feel included. That applies, as well, to the post-meeting chats. It’s common for some folks to linger after a meeting and chat with each other, taking ideas and proposals further. Don’t shut off the video or other feeds. Let those outside the room hear what’s happening and join in. As the last person exits and figuratively or actually turns off the meeting lights, the external connections can be halted.
Rule 2: Use icebreakers. The small talk they stimulate does more than build rapport in a hybrid meeting. It primes the pump for greater participation throughout. “Research shows that people who speak up once are more likely to speak up many times over,” the authors report.
Rule 3: Meeting facilitators must be the eyes and ears for everyone. They should provide the play-by-play and colour-commentary for those outside the room on behaviours inside they can’t see. That may involve taking note of non-verbal cues: “Joe, I see you leaning in. You seem intent. Want to explain?” In that vein, ask people to summarize what they heard in the meeting to ensure important stuff was not missed. “Those who join virtually are at a disadvantage when it comes to receiving a message,” the authors note. “The highest level of communication fidelity is found when in person.”
Rule 4: Invest in proper meeting room equipment for this new hybrid world. Don’t let it be an afterthought, or scrimp. Monitors in the room will need to be large – 50-inch or 75-inch screens – and well-placed so the video participants can be seen by everyone in the room. Large projectors can also be helpful.
Video quality must be high or it will contribute to video fatigue. They recommend considering video equipment that goes beyond the static shot, with automatic features like pan, tilt and zoom. Some conference room cameras can sit in the middle of the table and revolve 360 degrees, swivelling around to focus on the face of the speaker.
“Our advice is to think about what makes sense in your space with an emphasis on emulating an in-person experience,” they write. “From a meeting science perspective, the overarching aim is to help remote participants feel like they are present.”
It’s good news that research suggests hybrid meetings can be very effective as many organizations head uncertainly in that direction. Now you have to make that reality in your workplace.
Cannonballs
- Leadership guru Tom Peters asks in his weekly newsletter “if there is even one business school on Earth that puts people ahead of finances?”
- Boomerang employees – people who leave your organization and return, often surprisingly quickly when they find their new job not up to scratch – will be critical in the days ahead. HR consultant John Sullivan recommends that you start re-recruiting during the exit interview by telling them you would like them to return at any point and asking permission to contact them after their departure.
- Productivity increased by 40 per cent in organizations that committed to no meeting days and reduced meetings by 40 per cent, a study found. The employees felt more empowered and autonomous, with satisfaction rising by 52 per cent.
Harvey Schachter is a Kingston, Ont.-based writer specializing in management issues. He, along with Sheelagh Whittaker, former CEO of both EDS Canada and Cancom, are the authors of When Harvey Didn’t Meet Sheelagh: Emails on Leadership.
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Harvey Schachter