Inclusive Collaboration for Hybrid Organizations

Doug Dodge, General Manager Technology at One Workplace

While the way we work has undergone a fundamental and permanent change over the past few years, how we meet remains the same. The same conference rooms. The same conferencing technology. It’s as if we’ve forgotten the central purpose behind the meeting isn’t just to meet – it’s to collaborate

But today with workers spread across time zones and zip codes, collaboration has taken on a new meaning. Beyond merely giving workers a seat at the table, hybrid working organizations must embrace inclusive collaboration – a model that makes sure everyone in a meeting – whether they’re in the room or across the world – feels seen, heard, and connected.  

That’s easier said than done. By nature, hybrid work makes inclusive collaboration incredibly difficult to achieve. Study after study shows that innovation erosion escalates the farther apart teams operate. This is a growing pain point every hybrid organization feels – it doesn’t matter how big or small they are or what they do.

Our One Workplace Technology team realized how universal this struggle is during a recent project. The client, a large-scale tech company with remote teams all over the world, had experienced a precipitous drop in innovation and collaboration since the pandemic. Their meeting technology hadn’t changed. Neither had their meeting environments. So, they asked us to help them rethink how they could deliver a solution that increased collaboration and connection. Here's what we learned along the way. 

"By designing space and technology together and prioritizing ease of use, we can create a culture of connection, collaboration, and innovation that transcends geographic boundaries"

True Collaboration Puts Everyone on The Same Page – Not Just in the Same Room 

Traditional conferencing solutions are designed to put people in the same room. Today, organizations need to go a step further by giving remote and in-office teams an immersive package that brings high-definition video, AI, and ease of use together. For this project, we used the Campfire 360™. Its microphones and cameras use AI to automatically track and highlight speakers and conversations, so collaboration feels natural and easy. 

Space and Technology Go Hand in Hand 

The conference room still looks the same even though how we work has fundamentally changed. Building effective hybrid meeting solutions means designing space and technology in tandem. The crucial step of considering the room envelope is often overlooked or ignored. Screens placed in the middle of a room, for example, automatically help remote workers feel like they’re part of the conversation. This solution also lets in-person participants speak with their colleagues naturally and face to face instead of craning their necks. 

Meeting Technology Must Be Easy to Install – and Easy to Use 

Glitchy systems, intermittent feeds, and a lack of a friendly user interface will doom any collaboration solution. It sounds cliché, but to work well, technology must simply work within its given environment – and with the tools your team already uses. Because Campfire 360™ is platform agnostic, it gave our customers the flexibility to integrate with a wide range of existing software without having to undergo any kind of learning curve. 

For hybrid organizations, the challenge of inclusive collaboration won’t solve itself. But trying to band-aid a solution by merely upgrading technology won’t cut it either. If a hybrid strategy is becoming part of your company DNA, addressing collaboration by designing space and technology together will pay dividends in the long run with more connection, collaboration, and innovation.