Seizing the Opportunity of Change - How to do Hybrid Well
Summary
How can we manage the generation gap differences in approaching hybrid work?
In our future of work podcast, Rachel Cossar touched on the generational gap existing in today’s hybrid workplaces. As workplaces are spanning different generations, it’s crucial to manage these differences effectively. Dr. Gleb Tsipursky provided insight, using the example of disparities in technological competence among senior partners and junior associates in law firms. He identified a significant digital gap where older managers struggle with hybrid work, remote work, and digital work. The junior workers, on the other hand, who know best how to use tools like Microsoft Teams or slack, get the most benefits out of these digital tools. This scenario becomes a power dynamic that upsets the status hierarchy, leading to an emotional block for senior managers in learning these new tools. The key lies in empathizing with leaders and senior managers, understanding their emotions and helping them overcome their emotional blocks and defensiveness. Dr. Tsipursky’s insights verify that having the ability to understand different perspectives is a critical skill in virtual and hybrid workplaces. Such executive presence and thought leadership are much needed during these changing times. Recognizing such innovation and harnessing the potential of AI tools bodes well for any organization in coping with the challenges presented by the generational gap and the evolving future of work.
Transcript
Rachel Cossar: So continuing on this theme, Glenn, of, this generational gap that’s that’s existing in our our workplace today, what are like, how do you man it? Like, let’s say you’re in an in an enterprise organization and you have individuals who are spanning different generations. How do you manage that?
Dr. Gleb Tsipursky: Oh, going back to the example, I was talking about the lawyers. I see that in enterprise and organizations and large organizations. Like I said, at last, since pretty large organization, applied materials, another one of my clients, also testimonials on my website. You can check those out. And that these are large organizations. You have midsize organizations. You have small organizations. The key is pretty similar. Like, you have what I see is a big digital gap where the managers who are older tend to have many more struggles with hybrid work, with remote work, with digital work because they are used to relying on emails. They are not nearly as inventive and creative about using digital tools. So like I said, not a strategic retreat. The senior partners were pretty clueless about using Microsoft Teams, then the junior partners were using it extensively, and they were it was fixing their problems around collaboration but they were not using it nearly as extensively and aggressively as the most junior at our legal and associates who are getting the most benefits out of it. And so what I see is you need to get people coordinated. You need to train people on having the same standards. And especially, this is really difficult. I we need to empathize here with leaders, with senior managers. They were successful. For 20, 30, 40 years in the office, they know how to walk around and ask questions. Like, when the senior partners of the law firm said, like, well, why can’t I just go down the hall and have a conversation with someone? And of course, you know, you don’t need to really drive into the office in order to ensure that you can go on Microsoft teams quickly and have a conversation with someone who’s signed if if it says that they are available, on that kind of green sign. Right? And the they’ll respond quickly, but they don’t know that. It’s not intuitive to them. So what do they need to be empathetic to them? I understand where they’re coming from. And understand that it’s kind of appending the status hierarchy and the power dynamics. So if it’s the most junior people who know best how to use tools like Microsoft Teams or slack or other digital tools, Well, no wonder managers want to go go back to the office because they don’t like being the ones who have to be taught and feel incompetent in these digital tools. So what do you need to help the understanding where their emotions are coming from, what they’re feeling. And these emotions are the fundamental thing that I think is the obstruction. I mean, it seems simple to get training on these things, but you have to get over people’s emotional blocks, people’s defensiveness. And this is causing so much of the current return to office is people’s emotional blocks and their defensiveness and their unwillingness to be lower themselves on the status hierarchy and be the noobs in using these tools and have to have the people, the 20 something school them on these tools. So this is a really big problem that I think is greatly underestimated, but I have to face every day when I am helping companies figure this out. This is a big, big challenge. That makes sense.
Rachel Cossar: I mean, in in in so many walks of life, having the grace to be able to step back and understand someone else’s perspective and experience is it’s a skill. It’s a muscle. Right? It takes time to develop that. Absolutely. Yeah. Wonderful. Well, I’m glad that that’s part of what you’re teaching. Webb, thank you so much for joining us today and sharing such concrete pieces of of information, thought leadership, and insight. How can our audience connect with you, follow your work more closely. Sure.
Dr. Gleb Tsipursky: So you can check out my book, leading returning to the office and leading hybrid remote teams. Like I said, in Amazon and audiobook, paperback, Kindle, you can check out my website disaster avoidanceexperts.com, you know, for all of my resources, my blogs, my newsletters, and you can connect with me on LinkedIn. Happy to connect with folks. Just tell me you heard me on virtual Sapiens and my conversation with Rachel. I don’t just accept LinkedIn requests by too many people connecting with me there, but please do so on LinkedIn to find my profile. It’s Gleb Tsipursky. I’m the only one there. G l e b t s i p u r s k y. Wonderful. Thank you so much.
Rachel Cossar: And as always to our listeners, thank you so much for following conversations in the future of work.