|
Hybrid teams face unique challenges in maintaining a strong culture. Without the right strategies, communication gaps and disengagement can creep in. Discover practical ways to build trust, foster collaboration, and keep your team connected - whether they’re in the office or remote.  Why Hybrid Teams Struggle with Culture (and How to Fix It)With an estimated 22.1 million British people, or 40% of the population, working from home at least some of the time, it’s clear that hybrid working is here to stay. While hybrid working offers flexibility and autonomy it also presents challenges for collaboration, trust, and team cohesion. Without the right structures and habits, hybrid teams risk fragmentation, unnecessary competition and silent voices, which can lead to frustration and disconnection, a lack of commitment and difficulties working together. So how can you cultivate a strong, healthy culture when people are working from different places? How to Strengthen Culture in a Hybrid TeamThere are three key areas that will help you create a thriving hybrid team:
Let's start with building trust. The tips below are based on actions our clients have come up with together in the woods. They report back to us that they work. For more information and to read about healthy conflict and breaking down silos, download our free guide for hybrid teams here. How to Build Trust in a Hybrid TeamTrust is the foundation of any high-performing team, it’s the glue that holds a team together. Employees who trust their organisations show higher engagement, creativity and productivity. Those who don’t experience more stress, increased burnout, and are more likely to quit. Trust creates an environment of psychological safety, where your team members feel secure enough to take risks, admit mistakes, and learn from failures. Fostering trust, therefore, is a crucial imperative for any leader looking to create a good culture and a high-performing team. Yet trust can be harder to establish and maintain when people aren’t sharing the same physical space. Without casual interactions and shared experiences, tensions caused by undiscussed differences can grow, and relationship frustrations can intensify. What helps teams to build trust? Teams thrive when there is high psychological safety combined with high accountability. Try these Actionable tips: ● Consistent, intentional and transparent communication Trust grows through regular, open conversations. Greater transparency doesn’t just foster trust - it’s also been shown to fuel creativity, performance, and profitability. Try these: ○ Share team goals, individual progress, and organisational updates openly. ○ Schedule structured check-ins and make time for informal chats. ○ Encourage ‘virtual watercooler’ moments to keep connections alive. This helps maintain a sense of connection, even when you’re not physically together. ● Psychological safety People need to feel safe to be able to speak up, share ideas, and feel able to make mistakes - a prerequisite for creativity and innovation. ○ Lead by example - share challenges, model openness and vulnerability, admit mistakes and be honest to create a culture where honesty is valued. ○ Appreciate colleagues - appreciation strengthens relationships, boosts morale and helps people feel valued. ○ Show empathy - leaders who show empathy help team members feel heard, regardless of where they work. ● Reliability and follow-through Trust is reinforced when people do what they say they will. In a hybrid setting, this means being clear on expectations and ensuring accountability without micromanaging. ● Create shared experiences Arrange regular socials (eg Team Fridays) organise team building, away days, and offsites to foster bonding (like our unique outdoor team-building programme days in Nature). How School of the Wild can help: Our outdoor, reflective team-building programmes help establish deeper trust in ways a virtual or office-based meeting cannot replicate. /
School of the Wild’s approach is so human-centric, and hugely effective in bringing about open and healthy conversations across the organisation.
|
Author & CuratorNigel Berman is the founder of School of the Wild. |
RSS Feed
Leaders
|
About Us
Support |
|
