Strategic Work Design Dimensions of Hybrid Organisational Models

Digitalisation has reshaped how we work, challenging leaders to navigate the merging boundaries between traditional office settings and remote workspaces. The pandemic accelerated the integration of technology, fostering a shift towards more adaptable work practices and affecting employee wellbeing. Yet, the significance of hybrid work in designing organisations towards a Hybrid Organisational Model (HOM) is still not fully understood. This study delves into the essential elements required for implementing a HOM, examining work design to elucidate the characteristics, breadth, and measures necessary to foster hybrid work environments at a whole organisational level. Adopting a qualitative approach, we analyse two polar cases for their unique HOM strategies, aiming to understand different organizational paths to hybrid work. The research contributes both theoretical insights and practical guidance for organizations aspiring to adopt HOMs, addressing the call for more qualitative investigations in this area. The preliminary findings demonstrate an effective implementation of the HOM but starting from different strategic and organizational implementation approaches. The paper adds to the still-emerging literature on HOMs enlarging the set of organizational dimensions that contribute to defining and assessing the multiplicity of solutions that can be implemented, conceiving hybrid working arrangements as a strategic and managerial lever to work design and its orientation.