Returning to the Office and Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams

A Manual on Benchmarking to Best Practices for Competitive Advantage

Many leaders rely on traditional office-centric collaboration and management styles in managing hybrid teams. Yet research conclusively demonstrates that, instead of incrementally improving on the old-school office-centric approach, the best outcomes in managing hybrid teams comes from adopting a flexible hybrid-first work model. Doing so results in much higher retention, productivity, engagement, innovation, collaboration, cost savings, and risk mitigation.

A hybrid-first model involves best practices adapted specifically to hybrid work contexts. Such best practices include asynchronous brainstorming, remote coworking, virtual water coolers, weekly performance evaluations, addressing proximity bias, and a culture of "Excellence from Anywhere."

This book offers case studies and best practices that you need to make the most effective transition to hybrid work. It relies on the author's interviews with 47 mid-level and 14 senior leaders in 12 companies which he advised on developing and implementing a strategic approach to returning to the office and leading hybrid and remote teams after the pandemic. It also draws upon extensive peer-reviewed and survey research on hybrid and remote work.

Through adopting the methods from this book, your team will excel in retention, productivity, innovation, collaboration, cost savings, and risk management, thus enabling you to seize a competitive advantage in the increasingly-disrupted future of work.