Ambidexterity means being able to use our right and left hands equally well. It means being able to hold multiple competing perspectives or realities simultaneously. Hybrid work is requiring all of us to be ambidextrous in terms of shifting between modes of work. According to HR Reporter’s Jim Wilson, “hybrid workers are more likely to be thriving, while onsite workers are more likely to be disgruntled.” Unlocking the creative and productive potential of ambidexterity is driving this trend.
According to HBR’s Mark Mortensen and Martine Haas, “hybridity requires employees to be ambidextrous — able to balance between and navigate across both worlds — in a way that fully co-located or fully remote working don’t.” Cultivating the ability to operate within a hybrid environment reduces loneliness and an organization’s carbon footprint while increasing flexibility and employee satisfaction. At scale, building what Mortensen and Martine call “hybridity competence” can diffuse power across organizations and create positive connections between virtual and in-office worlds.
Generating ideas in a collaborative office space and hybrid brainstorming require different capabilities than writing a report or participating in project meetings. Hybrid work requires us to navigate different technology, relationships, and styles throughout the week (sometimes throughout a workday). Embracing the ambidexterity of our new reality drives creativity because we have to generate ideas and find solutions within constraints, which humans actually love.
Anke Weidling, Vanessa Chehlawi, and Joshua Magolis argue that embracing ambidexterity builds resilience by “grasp[ing] the emotional fatigue of those very employees they’re relying on to take the organization into the future” and authentically meeting teammates where they’re at with empathy, creativity, and vulnerability:
However excruciatingly difficult it may be for high-performing individuals, leaders need to be willing to abandon their dominant response before they learn to do something else better. Just like learning to sign your name with your other hand (which Margolis asks the group to try), this can at first seem awkward (and won’t look as good). Nevertheless, in time this process will equip leaders with a more ambidextrous, adaptable approach to a situation.
As Seth Godin notes, “the world is changing faster than it ever has before, and we can choose to lead those changes or simply follow them.” Ambidextrous leaders – who unlearn the habits and practices of work that are no longer relevant while building new capabilities for hybrid work – are choosing to lead every day especially when it’s uncomfortable.
Here’s a fun activity:
- Find a pen or pencil.
- Write a once-sentence response to this article and what it means to you.
- Seriously, write it on paper.
- Okay, now change hands and keep writing.
- Feels weird, right?
Congratulations on taking a small step towards getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.