Effective hybrid teams
Creating better working environments, both in-person and online
The pandemic has transformed the landscape of work, bringing renewed attention to phenomena like “quiet quitting” (employees doing the bare minimum), “quiet firing” (managers neglecting employees in hopes they’ll leave), and “quiet cracking” (the gradual disillusionment of workers). These trends underscore the psychological toll of being "out of sight." Yet despite their negative connotations, remote work remains an appealing feature of many jobs.
This tension presents a pressing challenge for organizational leaders: how to effectively select, manage, and retain remote employees. Higher education is no exception. Institutional leaders routinely navigate hybrid faculty meetings, engage with remote colleagues, and foster collaboration across virtual and in-person environments. While technology offers some solutions, it is far from a cure-all. Anyone who has felt invisible on a Zoom call, witnessed in-person attendees dominate a discussion, or sensed a decline in team cohesion knows that deeper issues are at play.
In this interactive infographic, we explore current trends in remote work—its promises and pitfalls—and connect them to emerging research on hybrid dynamics. Drawing from this scholarship, we offer evidence-based practices that promote inclusion and benefit the entire workforce.
The fundamentals
Four modes of working
The future of hybrid work
Work falls along two axes: (1) where are you doing the work and (2) whether you are working with others.
Therefore, there are four possible modes of working:
- Working alone in the same space
- Working alone in different spaces
- Working together in the same space
- Working together in different spaces
Learn more via YouTube:
Reference:
Gartner. (2021, October 14). The future of hybrid work [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5qfgarKjaQ
Two orientations to life/work balance
Is remote work right for everyone?
Consider whether you are an integrator or a segmentor.
- For integrators, work and private lives overlap.
- For segmentors, work and private lives are entirely separate.
- And of course many people will lie between the two.
Some scholarship suggests that integrators will work better remotely than segmentors.
Reference:
Rohaut, C. (2022, April 21). Integrator vs. segmentor: Finding your ideal work environment. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/12/29/integrator-vs-segmentor-finding-your-ideal-work-environment/
Currently
98% of workers want to work remotely.
Reference
Haan, K. (2023, Jun 12). Top remote work statistics and trends. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/remote-work-statistics/
How independent is your work?
While two days per week is the most popular trend for remote work these days, the right number for you depends on how interdependent your work is.
If you need to collaborate more with others to get work done, you may find you need more than two days on site.
At the same time, maybe if you spent more time in the same space as your coworkers, then you'd want to collaborate more?
Source:
Raver, J. (2023, December 1). Leading Hybrid Teams [Workshop]. Queen's University, Kingston, Canada.
The future of the workplace?
The office environment is likely to change, reflecting the trend of remote work. Indeed, “hot desking” (employees choose available workspace in lieu of assigned ones) is no longer an interesting trend, but rather, commonplace. According to Nextiva, on a global scale, 48% of businesses already prescribe to hot desking and flexible work configurations are growing.
So, what does this mean for today’s physical workspaces?
Below are some predictions.
Less...
- personalization (e.g., nameplates)
- personal space to accommodate for more people
- desk clutter
- office sites altogether because of an increase in remote work
More...
- demand for routine maintenance
- office chatter as employees encounter new faces
- communal spaces to facilitate teamwork when in the office
- technology to enable hybrid work
While the office space isn’t dead, it is certainly changing.
For further reading:
O'Shea, S. (2023, July 13). The office is dead... Long live the office! LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/office-dead-long-live-sean-o-shea/
Return to the office: The future of the workplace. (2023, January 25). J.P. Morgan. https://www.jpmorgan.com/insights/global-research/real-estate/return-to-the-office
Tsipurski, G. (2023, July 20). Why the traditional office is dead. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/glebtsipursky/2023/07/20/why-the-traditional-office-is-dead/
Suggested practices
Reflect on the pros and cons - for you
The fact that there are advantages (e.g., less commute time, fewer overhead costs) and disadvantages (e.g., distractions, opportunities for community building) to remote work for both individuals and organizations is not surprising.
However, upon examining the benefits that individuals commonly highlight, one notable aspect is often absent: "the ability to disengage from work." This is a significant observation because there is a concern that remote workers' productivity will decline.
This begs the question: Is the necessity to monitor productivity as urgent as one might presume?
Selection criteria for remote workers
Most important for selecting remote workers are that they:
- are proactive/self-starters and
- have self-awareness and self-regulation
We should also consider: (3) existing team composition and the candidate's value-add, (4) communication skills, and (5) a growth mindset.
Why prioritize self-starters who self-regulate?
Successful remote workers embrace autonomy and need to be able to design their own work. Further, as they process their work lives rather independently, it is an asset when they know how to manage their strong emotions (e.g., frustration, excitement) on the job.
Use tech to boost success
Looking for tech ideas?
Seattle University provides all colleagues the Microsoft 365 suite.
Relevant packages include:
- MS Planner
- MS To Do
- MS OneNote
- MS Teams
- MS Loop
- MS PowerBI
- MS Lists
- MS Viva
Download Microsoft 365 via IT Services' intranet site (requires SU login; opens in new window)
Other packages...
... are available, including:
- Miro
- AirTable
- Smartsheet
- Zoom (whiteboard)
(Caution: Some incur fees!)
You can also check out CDLI's Gadget Finder.
Why build trust?
If you are not actively building trust, it is eroding.
Trust relates to important key performance indicators, so it's not just a "nice thing" to have, but a necessary criterion for success.
How do you build trust?
Leaders play a special role in transmitting positive emotions to others in the workplace. Three sources of trust are:
- competence (e.g., proven good work),
- benevolence (e.g., care, compassion), and
- integrity (e.g., authenticity, honesty)
Ask yourself: "What are my (new) work routines that tap into those sources of trust?"
Have you tried the positivity challenge?
Try to add at least 10 pops of positivity per day to your workplace.
- Examples: Recognizing an employee's passions, commenting on a employee's good work, sending a funny meme to cheer someone up after a stressful week.
Reference
Check out this New York Times article.
Duhigg, C. (2016. February 25). What Google learned from its quest to build the perfect team. New York Times Magazine. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/magazine/what-google-learned-from-its-quest-to-build-the-perfect-team.html
Establish new norms for team cohesion and inclusion
For hybrid teams to succeed, we need to address an in-built bias with two different names. Distancing bias is the tendency to (unconsciously) limit resources and rewards for employees that you see less often (i.e., remote workers). The flip is proximity bias: the tendency to (unconsciously) favor in-person employees.
Whichever term you use, the key is to remember that people tend to give preferential treatment to in-person employees.
So we need to help reduce those biases to foster more inclusive, cohesive teams.
Here's how you can help build cohesion and inclusion:
- Open each hybrid meeting early to enable informal moments online and in-person.
- Make every meeting virtual, so that even those attending in-person are logged in to the meeting virtually.
- Make sure everyone’s camera is on, so that everyone can read facial expressions and feel connected. (Note: you can only have one microphone on per room!)
- Ensure the convenor is sometimes remote to build the sense that all types of participation are valued.
- Adopt "pulse calls" or quick audio calls for remote workers to function more like dropping by someone's office to check in.
Get in touch
Seattle University faculty can request a consultation via our nifty online form.
Otherwise, please feel free to contact us:
Address
Center for Faculty Development
Seattle University
Loyola 216
901 12th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122-1090
USA
faculty-development@seattleu.edu
Phone
+1 (206) 296-2144
Cite this resource
Hoption, C., & Green, D. A. (2025). How to lead effective hybrid teams [Infographic]. Seattle University Center for Faculty Development. https://www.seattleu.edu/faculty-development/faculty-resources/effective-hybrid-teams
Request a consultation
to discuss your own context in a hybrid team, group, committee, or department