Hybrid teams are groups of people who work together both physically and virtually. This means that some members of a hybrid team work in a common location such as a shared corporate office or a shared co-working space. The other part of the hybrid team works in a home office or other different remote locations, for example. Today, there are some companies that leave it open to their employees how they organize themselves. That is, team members can choose for themselves when and where they work, and it is no longer necessary to be constantly on site at the office.

Hybrid teams have many advantages: they enable a high degree of flexibility by leveraging the strengths of both physical and virtual teams. For example, employees who work in a shared location can communicate and collaborate more easily, while employees who work from home enjoy a higher work-life balance by being able to organize themselves independently.

However, in many cases, the ability to work efficiently and self-organize in a home office needs to be developed. Research shows that a portion of people who work in a home office suffer more from pressure, stress and separation problems (separation of leisure, family and work). Compare: Working and stress in a home office.

Hybrid teams bring other major challenges. For example, ensuring that all members of the hybrid team can participate equally in meetings and other activities, and that everyone can communicate and collaborate well with each other even when they are not in the same location. The manager has a crucial role to play here: he or she must develop the competence to lead the hybrid team.

Glossary