Quadriga Conference – Hybrid, remote or back to work?

Panel Discussion at Quadriga Internal Communication Conference: “Hybrid, remote or back to work? Internal comms and the post-pandemic organisation.”

Some ideas as shared, more or less but not exactly like this.

Considering how you work right now, what would you say is working really well? 

I would say flexible and remote working world as our new now reality is working well.

… lets shortly go back to the start of the Corona Crisis last year: With the outbreak of the crisis, the rule was: Navigating on sight. This meant making daily decisions under greatest uncertainty and in a rapidly changing environment. So, if you so want, the “VUCA”-world.

We were presented with new types of challenges; it demanded a maximum flexibility and resilience – not only from HR and Communications. In a very short time, we all had to cope with changes of unprecedentedly ways.

It showed us 2 things, on the HOW and WHAT:

1. HOW? – we approached things. There was a maximum willingness and ability to change. Maybe because the sense of urgency was given – we managed many things! And, we saw we can take the second step before the first. You don’t necessarily have to pilot. Equally we saw, if everyone pulls together, things could succeed and that even faster than expected.
2. WHAT? – specifically, remote work and digital collaboration. It worked well. Nothing we believed or had experienced before. We took a big leap on future ways of working. Not neglecting, of course, it also had and has its challenges.

With your current experience in mind, and thinking of moving forward, what would you recommend keeping as practice?

Both elements – the How and the What – I we should take on.

• So, firstly, let’s keep up the HOW we have done things ….maintaining momentum and continuing to dare to do things and just do them. So, in a nutshell, our MINDSET. The HOW!
• And… on the WHAT: There’s no question about it: As a “Chief Digital Officer” as often quoted, the pandemic has triggered a push for digitalization and new-work topics. In the future, hybrid and flexible working models will set the pace.

Then, why hybrid, you might ask? Big ideas don’t happen alone, but there were diverse perspectives and teams get together and co-create. 

Culture gets created together, as creativity, innovation and new ideas happens when people come together and interact. It is true that culture is increasingly also conveyed through communication, but people want to experience culture or feel it in the truest sense. Togetherness in the office also serves this purpose.

That’s why I believe hybrid, flexible working is the new reality. #hybrid will be part of our new #newnormal working reality. The question is how we can design #hybrid and make hybrid, flexible working “feasible” and sustainably – giving people choices.

That must be done and developed individually for each company. The proportions of remote vs. on premise might differ from company to company, also given experience and industry. We now need to come up with a workable hybrid model as there will not be one-size-fits-all.

How could communicators focused on internal audiences contribute to their colleagues and their organization’s journey?

3 words are key to our time: Openness, transparency and purpose. An internal communication building on that is of vital importance; in a crisis (such as the pandemic), this has become even more important. Obviously, the lesson to be learned from this Corona crisis is that: Crisis management is also internal (or external) communication. Good communication brings reliability and enables trust, closeness and cohesion as well as orientation – all essential for a positive attitude and approach in difficult times. And it shapes and strengthens culture. So, internal communication plays a key role in being at the heart of shaping and influencing the future of work and our current workplace.  

#Change #able4change #Changeability #ChangeManagement #Coaching #ChangeCoaching #FutureOfWork #HR #Communication

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