The hybrid condition: Decision making and adoption of hybrid strategies — perception, power and the bottom line

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, there appeared to be a dramatic shift in thinking among occupiers of real estate and workspace. While working from home and activity-based work strategies were adopted by a few organisations pre-pandemic, the pandemic resulted in even the most conservative organisations taking a second look and rethinking their workplace strategies and, more importantly, the role the physical workplace should have for their enterprises. During this time, many organisations adopted hybrid work for a variety of reasons: the lockdowns made it difficult and, in many instances, impossible to work in the physical workplace. Others viewed it as an opportunity to reduce real estate, which in uncertain times was extremely attractive. Still, others realised that the pandemic was a moment in time to totally re-evaluate the definition of work, how it could be conducted and where it could take place. By 2023, despite hybrid work and activity-based work strategies being deployed by many organisations, there appeared to be a lack of momentum and enthusiasm for organisations to take the leap into what was, for many, an untested strategy. This paper explores some of the underlying conditions that have impacted and informed this malaise and explores the ways to move beyond paralyses and indecision and make better decisions and strategies going forward. The problem is looked at through a different lens other than the surveys and analytics that have become so popular and, in too many instances, become crutches allowing for indecision and ambiguity. It looks at the problem through a qualitative lens rather than a quantitative one. It builds on the author’s MPhil research and dissertation completed in 2003, which explored how organisations make decision regarding adopting or not adopting a particular workplace design strategy.