IMI: The hybrid transition is a journey, not a destination

There is an opportunity to reshape workplaces and make them better than the past

The transition to the hybrid workplace will be different for every individual and the process of the return will impact people in different ways as well.

Picture this scenario. You and your colleagues have been invited to an event at one of the company’s main offices. Being a large organisation, your colleagues are spread across various locations throughout the country. As a result, some of them have quite a long journey to get to the event whereas others, including yourself, are already working at the location.

If everyone set out at the same time to travel to the event, would you expect them to arrive at the same time? Of course not.

And yet, if we were to consider our response to change as a journey, this is what we often expect.

It was William Bridges in 1980 who first introduced the term “transition” to differentiate between change (what happens) and transition (our psychological response to that change). Transition refers to the psychological journey that we take as we respond and adapt to change. It is slower than change and, by its nature, is very individual.

Using the journey metaphor can help us to better understand transition, because it recognises that a journey is never defined solely by the destination or the speed of travel — the starting point of the journey really matters. The starting point for any transition is actually an ending. It heralds a step away from the past. It is this “letting go” that can be very difficult for many of us.

Change and transition

The introduction of hybrid workplaces is an example of change and transition, one that has some unique characteristics. During the worst periods of the pandemic many of us found ourselves working from home for extended periods of time. We relied on virtual interactions with not just our colleagues, but also our friends and family members.

Just as we were forced to spend a lot of time in our own physical space, we also spent more time in our own psychological space, with limited access to how others were experiencing the new virtual and distributed world of work.

This represented not just a physical dispersal but, critically, a psychological one.

This experience scattered us far and wide. As a result, we are all starting from very different places and with very different expectations for the future.

The uniqueness of the situation requires us to give much more consideration to the starting point than we have to this point. The starting point is not only very different, but also far more individual and personal than our previous experience of organisational change.

Despite being difficult, we can make transitions easier if we take a few important steps.

Firstly, we can recognise that not everything changes. It might feel that way, but change is never absolute; we can bring some aspects of the past with us on the journey and make them part of the future.

For example, you might have a routine that you followed every morning. You can still do this on some mornings even if you can’t do it every day.

Secondly, it’s important to celebrate the past. Rather than simply draw a line under it, we can acknowledge the positives of the past. Reflect on what you’ve learned about yourself over the last few years. Take time to share some of these stories with colleagues. Listen to their stories too. None of us have come through this unchanged.

Thirdly, don’t be too hard on yourself. The journey will take time and there’s no need to break the speed limit. It’s normal to find transition difficult at times. It doesn’t make you any better or worse than colleagues who seem to be dealing better with this.

Reach out to others

If you’ve already “arrived” and have embraced the new ways of working, reach out to your colleagues who are still on the journey. Talk to them about where they are, not where you are. Avoid judging as “better” those who arrive first — they may have had a shorter journey. Those who arrive later will be just as committed and will have personally invested a lot in order to get here.

Ultimately, it’s important for each of us to recognise that we cannot control most of the changes that we encounter in life. These are often thrust upon us without warning. However, we can choose how we respond to change.

This means making our own journey and helping those around us with theirs. As you look around your workplace, you might be tempted to see the introduction of hybrid working as a project that is now complete. Remember the difference between change and transition. Recognise that at this stage many people are still on their own journey.

There is an opportunity to create a workplace that is far better than the past. Let’s help one another to make this a reality.

Billy Byrne is an IMI Associate faculty member and works as a Leadership Development Specialist at KinchLyons