WORK 3.0 – Re-imagining Leadership in a Hybrid World

ChapmanCG, in partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), recently hosted an online webinar discussing the evolution of work and workplaces in Asia Pacific.  Diana Khaitova, APAC Head of Client Development at CCL, facilitated the session and introduced the culmination of over eight months of research conducted with over 2,200 leaders across 13 countries in the APAC region.  The insights from this research form WORK 3.0,  a comprehensive report on the evolution of work and workplaces in APAC. It details how leaders must align with the realities of the ‘new’ World of Work.

We were honoured to be joined by three esteemed HR leaders from our network as our panellists, who shared their insights and experiences related to this topic – David Kim of VISA, Marife (Fe) Rosal of LIXIL, and Peng Hui Lim of AMCOR.

Like the rest of the world, Asia Pacific has witnessed a massive shift in the evolution of work and workplaces. From most people working in physical offices pre-pandemic (Work 1.0) to most people working virtually during the pandemic (Work 2.0) to now finding the “right” hybrid balance (Work 3.0). Organisations and leaders struggle to meet people’s expectations, business transformation, and digital evolution. The inability of organisations to keep up with changing expectations has manifested in the “The Great Resignation,” “Quiet Quitting”, and “Lying Flat” movements we see across the world.  

In sharing insights from this research, Diana took us on a journey covering organisational culture, national culture, industry preferences, generational preferences, and leader attitudes – factors affecting what version of hybrid work is more viable for the organisations. The report indicated that leaders must lean on their Work 3.0 mindsets and attributes to manage several complementary or competing ideas to navigate workplace tensions. They should also embrace five roles – Anchored Imagineer, Cat Herder, Wellness Hunter, Risk-Averse Gambler, and Tech-Savvy Humanist. And that the ability of leaders to play these five roles dictates if inherent Work 3.0 tensions will act as “springs” or “mines.”

You can access the report here. It is broken down into regions, which is helpful for those with workforces across the APAC region.  Different trends have emerged regarding cultural and national impacts on hybrid work.

What resonated most with the panellists and attendees was the 4 C Framework. The ability to use this framework, and the associated language with leaders, to assist them in re-imagining their leadership and taking into account Collective Mindset, Connection, Cohesive Relationships and Core (reason for coming together as a team) when leading in a hybrid workplace – was referred to throughout the discussion and referenced as a great way to bring an entire team together on the strategic direction.

Work is not a place; it is what you accomplish together

In opening the session, Diana referred to the recent McKinsey 2023 State of Organisations report – The State of Organizations 2023: Ten shifts transforming organizations | McKinsey, which supported much of the research gathered by CCL.  This report speaks to businesses still grappling with finding the right balance between in-person and remote work, raising the interconnected factors of resilience and wellbeing – bringing more colour to the leadership capabilities that need to be re-imagined in a hybrid world. 

The data from the research and the panellists’ feedback indicates that mindset and skillset shifts centre on trust, communication, and growth, and good leaders are good leaders, no matter the working context!

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