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The power of presence : Re-establishing collaboration and innovation amidst a virtual revolution
Corporate Real Estate Journal,
12
(2),
176-184
(2023)
Abstract
Two research studies were conducted to identify the implications of working remotely, in a physical office and hybrid on five business drivers, namely: productivity, collaboration, strategy, creativity and innovation. These five factors were repeatedly discussed in articles as being affected greatly (some positively, some negatively) by working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Engaging over 150 people from 29 different organisations, DORIS (Design Oriented Research for Impactful Solutions) found the aforementioned business drivers are, in fact, a system where each affects the other, and that no one factor functions independently of the others. What does this mean for hybrid working? Well, the simple fact is that it is harder than it sounds, and a hybrid work model built without intentionality toward people is one that is bound to fail due to widespread lack of efficiency and individual burnout. It is widely understood that many organisations intend to implement a hybrid approach moving forward. The key to successful implementation will be intentionality and communication behind decisions, which will increase certainty and confidence for everyone in an uncertain time.
Keywords: hybrid workplace; workplace strategy; productivity; psychological safety; future; collaboration; innovation
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Meghan Tooman MS, PStat® is the Vice President of Operations for DORIS (Design Oriented Research for Impactful Solutions). After earning her MS in applied statistics, she taught statistics courses at Purdue University and IUPUI while also maintaining her own successful consulting business, Statistical Research Solutions. She received her PStat® accreditation from the American Statistical Association in recognition of a demonstrated level of educational and professional experience. Meghan ensures that DORIS pioneers innovative research practices that establish the company as an industry leader. She has developed new methods for measuring and reporting workplace utilisation and engages with the larger academic and corporate community in partnership to grow the analytical expertise of the organisation. DORIS is a research organisation that collects data from stakeholders to help leadership teams make better decisions about their future space needs. Employing researchers degreed in both social sciences (design research and psychology) and mathematical sciences, DORIS’s unique approach to research ensures success for their clients by making sure the people who matter are heard, and in turn, the unbiased data reported to leadership enables them to confidently understand the intersection between people and space in their working environments.
