Leading Hybrid Teams whilst protecting connection, trust and culture
As organisations settle into new rhythms of work, one thing has become clear hybrid is here to stay.
A recent CEO Outlook report revealed that only 22% of Australian leaders expect a full return to the office within three years,
while 74 % anticipate hybrid work to remain the dominant model.
For teams across ANZ, the hybrid model is becoming the baseline so leaders' success
now hinges more on how they lead distributed and hybrid teams than simply how many days they can get people in the office.
The Leadership Challenge
Traditional leadership frameworks have often emphasised "in-room leadership" the ability to inspire, motivate and connect through presence.
Yet remaining in hybrid work environments requires a different set of muscles.
Maintaining team cohesion, shared purpose and trust when people aren’t always co-located.
The challenge for today’s leaders is to create emotional proximity even when physical proximity is absent.
As Dr Amy Edmondson, Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School, reminds us,
"Psychological safety is not about being nice it’s about enabling candour and learning without fear."
That principle becomes even more critical in virtual settings where cues are muted and misunderstandings multiply.
Building Trust
Hybrid work calls for a deliberate approach to trust.
In distributed teams, trust is built less through visibility and more through reliability, communication, and empathy.
Research by Microsoft's Work Trend Index (2024) shows that one in two employees feel disconnected from their team in hybrid
settings yet teams that engage in weekly one-to-ones and use shared digital rituals report 30% higher trust and engagement.
Leaders must therefore prioritise connection before correction, scheduling regular check-ins not as performance reviews,
but as moments of relationship-building.
This is where virtual coaching becomes a vital skill, short intentional conversations that reinforce belonging and purpose.
Ensuring rhythms of connection
Good hybrid leadership is about finding a healthy rhythm.
Teams work best when there's a mix of live catchups and time for people to get things done on their own -
a balance between independence and working together.
Clarity and consistency are the antidotes to confusion in dispersed teams.
Leaders should monitor their team rhythms
- How many face-to-face versus remote interactions are occurring?
- Are remote participants included meaningfully in hybrid meetings?
- Is clarity of role and accountability being maintained across work modes?
These questions expose gaps in equity and inclusion that, if left unaddressed, can fracture culture over time.
Measuring what matters
To lead hybrid teams effectively, leaders must also be able to see culture not through anecdotes, but through data.
Tracking "team micro-culture" metrics such as engagement, collaboration frequency, and feedback loops provides visibility
into the lived experience of hybrid work.
Regular check-in surveys and sentiment analysis can uncover blind spots before they become cracks.
Leadership is not about being in charge; it’s about taking care of those in your charge.
In a hybrid world, that means measuring not just what people deliver, but how connected and supported they feel while doing it.
The opportunity
This is an opportune moment to refine the craft of hybrid leadership. Consider adding or revising modules that focus on:
- Maintaining psychological safety across digital divides
- Building positive feedback loops that transcend distance
- Reinforcing shared identity and purpose through hybrid rituals
- Developing inclusive communication practices that empower every voice
Hybrid work is not a temporary adjustment but a defining feature of modern leadership.
The leaders who will thrive are those who embrace its complexity blending structure with empathy, and technology with trust.
Culture shows itself in how people treat each other when no one is watching.
As the workplace stretches across both physical and virtual spaces, leaders must ensure that the same sense of connection,
respect, and clarity holds true in every setting.
References
CEOWorld. (2025). Culture is a central key to the remote work debate. 2025 https://ceoworld.biz
HCAMag. (2025). Australian CEOs reverse expectations on working from home. 2025 https://www.hcamag.com/au.
Microsoft. (2024). Work Trend Index Annual Report: Building resilience in hybrid work.
Edmondson, A. (2023).
The Fearless Organization. Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. Wiley.
Eurich, T. (2023).
Insight: Why We're Not as Self-Aware as We Think, and How Seeing Ourselves Clearly Helps Us Succeed at Work and in Life.
Crown Business.
Sinek, S. (2019). Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't. Penguin Books.
Schein, E. (2017). Organizational Culture and Leadership. Wiley.