How the home office is turning corporate culture, communication and leadership upside down

The search for the right post-corona balance of presence and home office is currently a hot topic of discussion. But surprisingly often the complex effects of new hybrid working models on corporate culture, leadership, internal communication, collaboration and training are grossly underestimated or not taken into account. Here is a discussion template on how companies can set the course for action and future viability.

Welcome back! The offices and production facilities are slowly filling up again. After 15 months in a state of emergency, we are slowly feeling our way back to normality in the workplace. And all companies are discussing what the right level of presence and remote working is in the short and long term. It's about the proportion of working time spent in the office and at home, the days of the week and the question of what should be mandatory and what should be voluntary. These are all important questions that need to be answered collectively.

Without looking at the big picture, however, the discussion about working from home is too short-sighted. In my view, it would be naïve to believe that once a suitable hybrid working model has been agreed and introduced, the change process is complete and everything is back to normal. Rather, the new work organization is a real game changer that sets the company's main pillars in motion: In terms of corporate culture, leadership, communication, collaboration and training, there is no turning back. New, sustainable solutions are needed here.

In the following, I will shed light on what is happening here and what course should be set and how:

Corporate culture: Update for the organization's operating system

The corporate culture encompasses shared ideas about how the company should act, which problem-solving approaches and which social behavior are correct. An adaptation of working models cannot be successfully implemented in the long term without influencing the corporate culture. In times of omnipresent change, corporate culture is not set in stone, but can only fulfill its guiding function as a living, dynamic construct.

And what specifically needs to be done?

Now is the right time for a pit stop to take a close look at the company's operating system and update it. The "new now" of collaboration needs an updated corporate culture with a common language, rules and values so that identification with the company does not diminish as the culture of presence is dismantled.

 

Leadership: clarity, trust and empathy

"Trust is good - control is better" - generations of managers have internalized this motto. However, it does not contribute to the successful flexibilization of the working world. Especially because employees have learned to appreciate self-determined working from home and want to continue doing so. Self-determination inspires people to reach their full potential. At the same time, various Gallup studies show that employees who work flexibly remotely are often unclear about what their managers expect of them. As a result, managers are unsure what their role will look like in the future and where they should start and how.

And what specifically needs to be done?

In the post-presence era, the focus must be on results. Every manager should trust the team and support them in creating the framework conditions so that everyone is willing and able to deliver the best possible performance. To ensure that work performance also meets the company's expectations, managers need to agree tasks, goals and results clearly with employees and offer them the freedom and, if necessary, help to achieve their goals. And good leadership must recognize and understand informal systems and dynamics. Internal peer-to-peer networks among managers, for example, have proven their worth in order to meet the new challenges in people management in a networked and agile way.

 

Communication: Stimulating networking and promoting community

Working remotely has many advantages. This does not automatically include human contact and networking: as a result of physical distance, we are more isolated on the one hand and communicate more than ever on the other - presumably for this very reason. However, informal exchanges on the sidelines of a meeting are lost, as are small talk and spontaneous brainstorming at the coffee machine, nuances and non-verbal feedback during conversations. In other words, communication is becoming more complicated, less informal and less intuitive. In our increasingly complex and volatile world, fast, clear, uncomplicated and reliable communication within the company is more important than ever. The pandemic has further multiplied subcultures and silo thinking in companies, which now require strong communicative bridgeheads.

And what specifically needs to be done?

Many companies need new incentives to turn the office into a shared campfire experience that employees enjoy coming together for on a regular basis. Social proximity, transparency, networking and community despite temporary physical distance are the right guidelines for new communication standards, e.g. town hall meetings, cross-functional initiatives, open bar camps or flexible room concepts. These concepts should be considered beyond team and department boundaries if silo thinking is not to be exacerbated. Digital communication options remain of central importance - both on a formal and informal level. This is why now is also the time to put digital network platforms, some of which are still provisional, to the test and update them on the basis of previous expectations and expand them with useful functionalities and formats.

 

Collaboration: strengthening teams

The majority of work in organizations is not done by individuals, but by teams. Working together with others inspires people to be more productive. However, without the intuitive "proximity through proximity" principle, many teams lack togetherness, understanding and orientation. The less our way of working is characterized by physical proximity to our colleagues, the more important it is to promote social exchange, as this is essential for a positive working environment, personal well-being and a strong sense of unity.

The flexibilization of the working world does not release employees from their social roles and tasks as team members: in the best teams, people listen to each other and have strong antennae for the feelings and needs of others. Beyond technical skills, appreciation, trust, helpfulness, honesty, openness and empathy remain the social glue in teams.

And what specifically needs to be done?

Regular face-to-face meetings, routines and rituals remain essential despite remote working options in order to keep common goals, values and rules in focus. It makes sense to take time as a team to process the last few months in the state of emergency and plan together what future cooperation will look like, what of the new routines and processes should be adopted into the "new normal" and what the team would prefer to discontinue. Team workshops, confidential 1:1 interviews, surveys, polls and working groups are suitable formats for updating and consolidating the team culture.

 

Further training: Contemporary skills development

The way we work has a direct impact on our employees' qualifications. Over the past few months, each and every one of us has left familiar process paths behind and has been on a steep learning curve. Since the pandemic and new remote working standards, the 70-20-10 rule is more relevant than ever: learning only takes place to a small extent (10%) with prepared knowledge in the seminar room, but primarily in exchange with others (20%) and through one's own situational actions in the workplace (70%). The last few months have impressively demonstrated that experience is increasingly losing out to agility and experimentation. Learning has not taken place with prepared knowledge in the seminar room, but through one's own actions in different situations at the workplace. Learning and working continue to grow together and are becoming increasingly agile, self-determined, networked and collaborative. Very few companies offer training courses that meet the new learning requirements; instead, they are still dominated by traditional classroom training.

And what specifically needs to be done?

New learning cultures and opportunities are needed to effectively support employees in developing their skills. Personnel development and management should take the following guiding principles to heart:

• flexible formats that integrate well into everyday working life,
• self-determined, competence-oriented learning in the work context,
• self-organized "peer-to-peer" learning circles,
• regular impulses from outside and
• personalized topics and formats co-determined by participants.

 

Bottom line

The effects of new working models are fundamental and complex. It is now important to set the course in such a way that the company is fit for action and the future. And to find a balance between pragmatic quick fixes and a long-term, holistic approach. Spoiler: Unfortunately, there is no blueprint, because the right path is as individual as the company itself. With "Future Work", we have developed a modular programme - for happy, motivated, productive and loyal employees in your organization.