Suddenly Hybrid

PART ONEFrom Suddenly Virtual to Suddenly Hybrid

In March 2020, the world essentially shut down in response to the biggest global health disaster of the current century – COVID-19. The response to this deadly disease that has claimed the lives of so many was inconsistent across countries and even between states within the United States. However, nearly uniformly, organizations closed offices and sent their workers home, hoping they could figure out a way to get business done even though they were scattered to the winds.

The supply chain strained to the point of breaking as “suddenly virtual” workers scrambled to set up their home offices. There was a run on webcams, computers, office chairs, desks, and, oddly enough, toilet paper. Correspondingly, companies like Zoom, Microsoft, and Logitech saw massive growth in sales and usage, particularly of videoconferencing tools and platforms (Reed and Allen 2021).

While businesses accelerated the adoption of new tools and processes, leaders anticipated an inevitable dip in productivity … a dip that by and large did not occur. Much to nearly every leader's surprise, the data suggests that productivity in organizations during the pandemic remained stable (Gaskell 2021), at least for those industries that did not require face-to-face interactions. For those that rely almost entirely on people gathering together, like the hospitality industry, the pandemic caused tremendous suffering, forcing some businesses to close for good. Restaurants ...