There’s a whole host of stories, studies, and opinions on productivity and team collaboration in our pandemic era.
Some people are convinced that there’s no way collaboration and innovation can be effective in a remote or hybrid workplace.
Other people point to studies showing that many teams and companies are reporting higher productivity and greater trust.
What to believe? What to do?
It’s actually quite simple.
Look at the cause.
The companies and teams that are doing well are the ones that are intentional about creating psychological safety, allowing autonomy and authority at all levels, and creating opportunities for interactions beyond (wayyy beyond!) endless Zoom meetings.
The ones doing not-so-well are the ones micromanaging, installing spyware on employees’ computers, insisting on rigid schedules, and, yes, I’ll say it even as a fan of and investor in Zoom, holding wayyy too many Zoom meetings.
In other words: it’s about your culture.
Remote and hybrid work works when you have a solid, humane, empowering culture.
It doesn’t work when you have a suspicious, fault-finding, micromanaging culture.
Am I sounding harsh? Hmm. If you’re feeling attacked – or as if I’m attacking your company – you might want to take a step back and think about why.
And what you can do about it.
Three-day “virtual corporate culture” challenge – assess, plan, and fortify your company’s culture: click here to sign up (free)
Comments on this from the ever-smart Seth Godin in his blog here.