Leading a hybrid team can sometimes feel like a tricky balancing act – trying to keep everyone connected, engaged, and on track while juggling remote and in-office work. With hybrid work becoming the norm for many organisations, the big question for leaders is: How do we build strong relationships and maintain a solid team culture when we’re not all in the same place? The answer lies in understanding the challenges of hybrid work and using the right strategies and tools to make collaboration smooth, no matter where your team is based.
In this blog, I’ll share some practical insights on how to lead a successful hybrid team, from creating intentional ways to collaborate to using technology and developing a clear team charter.
The Challenges of Hybrid Work
Hybrid work presents unique challenges, particularly in maintaining team cohesion and culture. With employees split between home and office, spontaneous interactions are less frequent, and misunderstandings can arise more easily. However, with strategic planning and the right tools, hybrid teams can thrive just as well as those working in the same physical space.
I have to say, I find the debate around hybrid working frustrating at times. The idea that distributed teams are a new concept is simply not true – we’ve had teams working across different locations long before COVID-19 made remote work mainstream. I’ve worked with teams that were not co-located for a variety of reasons, and I’ve seen firsthand that a strong team culture does not depend on everyone being in the same office. It’s a myth that physical presence automatically leads to stronger relationships and better collaboration. What really matters is how we intentionally design our ways of working, communicate clearly, and build trust, regardless of where we are based.
The real challenge isn’t hybrid work itself; it’s our mindset around it. If we continue to cling to the outdated belief that meaningful collaboration only happens in an office, we risk missing out on the benefits that hybrid models offer. Instead, we should be asking: How do we create a sense of belonging, shared purpose, and alignment when our team isn’t in the same physical space every day? The key is to be proactive about intentional collaboration, which brings me to my next point.
Intentional Collaboration: The Key to Success
Rather than seeing hybrid work as a barrier, I encourage you to embrace intentional collaboration. As leaders, we must make purposeful choices about when and how our teams interact to ensure engagement and productivity. One framework I find incredibly useful is Gartner’s 2×2 matrix, which helps teams determine the best collaboration method based on the nature of the work and the location of team members.
Intentional collaboration means designing our work interactions with purpose. I remember leading a team where, before hybrid work was widely accepted, employees would ask for permission to work from home. The number one reason they gave? They needed to concentrate. People found they were far more productive in their home environment, free from office interruptions. And yet, as leaders, we sometimes risk pulling people into the office to do work they could do better at home. That’s why we have to be intentional about which tasks are best suited for in-office collaboration and which can be done remotely.
Bringing people into the office just for the sake of visibility is counterproductive. Instead, we should be asking: What work benefits from in-person collaboration? Tasks that require deep focus, individual reflection, or asynchronous input from multiple stakeholders can often be done more effectively at home. However, brainstorming sessions, team-building activities, and strategic discussions often thrive in an in-person environment. By making deliberate choices about when and how we gather, we can maximise both productivity and engagement.
Understanding Gartner’s 2×2 Matrix for Hybrid Collaboration
The Gartner 2×2 matrix is an invaluable tool that helps organisations strategically plan their hybrid work interactions. This model considers two critical dimensions: the type of work being done and the location of team members. The matrix divides work into four quadrants:
- Asynchronous Remote Work – Tasks that require deep individual focus, such as writing reports or coding, can be completed independently with minimal real-time interaction. Asynchronous tools like shared documents, email, and project management platforms facilitate efficiency in this quadrant.
- Synchronous Remote Work – When real-time collaboration is necessary but physical presence isn’t required, virtual meetings and brainstorming sessions using tools like Zoom, Miro, or Microsoft Teams are effective. This quadrant is ideal for decision-making, planning, and problem-solving sessions.
- Asynchronous In-Office Work – Employees working in the same location but not necessarily engaging in constant communication fall into this category. This could include focused individual tasks that benefit from an office environment, such as research or strategy planning.
- Synchronous In-Office Work – This quadrant is best suited for collaborative activities that benefit from in-person interaction, such as workshops, team-building exercises, or complex problem-solving sessions. These moments foster stronger team relationships and innovation.
By understanding where different tasks fit within this matrix, leaders can make informed decisions about when to bring employees together and when remote work is more effective. This structured approach ensures that hybrid teams operate with both efficiency and engagement.
Leveraging Technology for Virtual Teamwork
Technology has revolutionised the way teams can work together, even when they are physically apart. My podcast co-host Fiona Craig and I have seen firsthand how online tools, such as Miro, can enable global teams to collaborate effectively. Fiona recently hosted an online workshop using Miro as a brainstorming tool, bringing together a distributed team from across the world. Despite being in different time zones and locations, the session was incredibly productive. Team members could share ideas, offer feedback, and even take part in mini breakouts—all virtually. When Fiona ran the same task in person, the session was far less productive.
At first, it might seem daunting to learn how to use these online tools, but in reality, they are often quite intuitive. In Fiona’s case, her team had never used Miro before, yet they were up and running within five minutes. This ease of use highlights just how accessible these tools are, even for beginners. And working remotely with such tools can save both time and money, particularly when it’s logistically difficult or impractical for a team to meet in person.
Technology is a game-changer in making hybrid work successful. It’s about reducing friction, streamlining workflows, and ensuring that everyone has access to the information they need when they need it. Key tools that support seamless hybrid collaboration include:
- Miro and MURAL for visual collaboration, brainstorming, and mapping out ideas in real-time.
- Asana, Trello, or Monday.com for task management and tracking project progress asynchronously.
- Google Drive, Notion, or Confluence for document sharing and maintaining a single source of truth for information.
- Loom and Microsoft Viva Engage for asynchronous video updates to keep communication personal and engaging.
With the right combination of tools, teams can collaborate effectively, regardless of their location or time zone, making hybrid work not only possible but highly productive.
Establishing a Team Charter
One of the most effective ways to align a hybrid team is through a Team Charter. It’s a document that outlines the team’s expectations, values, and rules for communication, collaboration, and accountability. To create one, as a team we need to ask ourselves some fundamental questions:
- What is our shared purpose? A clear, united vision is essential to ensuring motivation and alignment. Everyone on the team should understand what they are working towards and why it matters.
- What is important to us? This might include practical considerations like sharing documents before meetings, ensuring that all voices are heard in discussions, or agreeing on response times for emails and messages.
- What rules and agreements do we need? A Team Charter should establish key working norms, such as which days the team will be in the office, whether there are designated meeting-free days (e.g., no meetings on Fridays), and how decisions will be made collaboratively. Remember the intentional working point I made earlier in this article – this is where it comes into practice.
- What are our strengths and weaknesses? Using a tool like Team Canvas, we can document individual and team strengths, weaknesses, and areas for growth. This helps us stay aware of challenges and play to our collective strengths.
- How do we maintain an open dialogue? Team coaching conversations should be a regular occurrence. Spending time discussing the Team Charter and refining it based on experience ensures that the team remains aligned and continuously improves its ways of working.
Maximise Productivity with Gemma Bullivant
Hybrid work isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, but with the right mindset and tools, it can work really well. By being intentional about how and when your team collaborates, making the most of technology, and getting everyone on the same page with a Team Charter, you can create a hybrid setup that supports both productivity and team connection. Sure, hybrid work comes with its challenges, but with the right approach, your team can thrive just as much, if not more, than teams working entirely in the office. The future of work is flexible, and with thoughtful leadership, your hybrid team can make it work.
If you’re looking to take your hybrid team’s performance even further, a tailored reward strategy could be just what you need. Contact me to explore how aligning your rewards with your team’s needs can drive motivation and strengthen the hybrid model.
To learn more, listen to the Strategic Leadership Podcast, where me and Fi dive deeper into these topics and share insights to help you lead your team to success.
