Hybrid Communication as a Prospect for Organisation Development

Abstract

Recently, hybrid communication is gaining more and more importance in our society (Bielinis, 2020) - due to the COVID-19 pandemic and social restrictions, people were forced to use remote means of communication, thanks to which it was possible not only to avoid, but also to effectively manage the COVID-19 pandemic. However, hybrid communication is relevant not only in this context - thanks to it, members of various organizations can carry out continuous communication and connect 24/7 from anywhere in the world. A study by Berger et al. (2021) found that before the global COVID-19 pandemic, only 35% of organizations used/aspired to use a hybrid work model, but now even 77% use this work model. (Berger, Weber & Buser, 2021). Organizations that previously conducted their activities in a contact manner and could not imagine an effective flexible combination of remote and contact work methods, now face new challenges of internal processes, employee performance and change management. However, properly chosen methods of information transfer help to ensure targeted achievement of organizational goals, change management and smooth internal operational processes. Therefore, in the context of the hybrid work model, active and purposeful communication becomes particularly significant. The aim of the article is to determine the features of hybrid communication when applied to business development in Lithuania. The research showed that hybrid communication encouraged the introduction of new information dissemination channels in the organization, more efficient time management and increased employee productivity. However, the study also diluted the challenges of hybrid communication: i.e. the adaptation of new employees, the problem of receiving feedback, the abundance of e-mails and the growing social exclusion of employees, the consequences of which could be examined in other studies.