You're leading a hybrid team and struggling to build cohesion. What's the best way to foster collaboration?

1 Align on expectations

The first step to foster collaboration in a hybrid team is to align on the expectations and norms for working together. You need to clarify the roles, responsibilities, goals, and processes of your team, and make sure everyone understands and agrees on them. You also need to establish the frequency, format, and agenda of your team meetings, and the tools and platforms you will use for communication and collaboration. Having clear and consistent expectations can help your team avoid confusion, frustration, and conflict.

2 Create a shared vision

Another way to build cohesion in a hybrid team is to create a shared vision that inspires and motivates your team members. You can facilitate a visioning session where you ask your team to brainstorm and articulate their desired outcomes, values, and purpose as a team. You can use tools like Miro or Mural to create a virtual whiteboard where your team can share their ideas, images, and feedback. Creating a shared vision can help your team align on their common goals, priorities, and direction.

3 Foster social connection

One of the biggest challenges of leading a hybrid team is to foster social connection and trust among your team members, especially those who work remotely. You need to create opportunities for your team to interact and bond beyond work-related tasks. You can facilitate icebreakers, check-ins, and fun activities at the beginning or end of your team meetings, or schedule separate social events like virtual coffee chats, happy hours, or games. You can use tools like Zoom or Teams to host video calls, or Slack or Discord to create chat channels for casual conversations. Fostering social connection can help your team build rapport, empathy, and camaraderie.

4 Encourage participation

Another way to foster collaboration in a hybrid team is to encourage participation and engagement from all your team members, regardless of their location. You need to create a safe and inclusive space where your team can share their opinions, ideas, and feedback, and feel heard and valued. You can facilitate brainstorming, problem-solving, and decision-making sessions where you use techniques like polling, voting, or dotmocracy to gather input and consensus from your team. You can use tools like Mentimeter or Poll Everywhere to create interactive polls, quizzes, or surveys, or Google Docs or Sheets to create collaborative documents or spreadsheets. Encouraging participation can help your team leverage their diversity, creativity, and innovation.

5 Provide feedback

Another way to build cohesion in a hybrid team is to provide feedback and recognition to your team members, both individually and collectively. You need to acknowledge and appreciate the efforts, achievements, and contributions of your team, and celebrate their successes and milestones. You also need to provide constructive and timely feedback on their performance, challenges, and areas for improvement. You can use tools like Loom or Vidyard to record and share video messages, or Kudos or Bonusly to send and receive peer recognition. Providing feedback can help your team improve their skills, confidence, and morale.

6 Review and adapt

The final way to foster collaboration in a hybrid team is to review and adapt your team's processes, practices, and outcomes, and make adjustments as needed. You need to solicit and incorporate feedback from your team on what is working well and what can be improved, and identify and address any issues or gaps that arise. You can facilitate retrospective sessions where you ask your team to reflect on their achievements, challenges, and learnings, and plan for their next actions and goals. You can use tools like Trello or Asana to create and track your team's tasks, projects, and progress, or SurveyMonkey or Typeform to create and analyze feedback surveys. Reviewing and adapting can help your team optimize their efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?