“Working in today’s hybrid workplaces is a bit like participating in a large experiment. There is often a lack of structure and guidelines for how we should act in the digital work environment, which can create uncertainty and stress,” says Karin Högberg, researcher at University West.

Karin is leading two parallel projects where researchers aim to understand how the hybrid workplace can be managed and organized. In the LeadHybrid project, the focus is on how innovation work and learning are affected by the new way of working. In the DigiStress project, the research explores how managers and employees experience stress in hybrid workplaces – and how sustainable, long-term working methods can be developed. The research is conducted in close collaboration with several municipalities and companies such as ABB, Ericsson, and Bosch.

Covid-19 pandemic a catalyst
The global Covid-19 pandemic, with closed offices and social distancing, became a catalyst for the transition to hybrid workplaces. The shift to new digital tools happened quickly, bringing entirely new ways of collaborating and communicating.
“The absence of structure and guidelines for the new digital work environment creates ambiguity, which in turn can lead to stress. During the pandemic, it worked for many since the focus was on survival. But in many organizations, it is still unclear what applies. Moreover, different departments within the same company may have different ideas about what is expected of employees. There is a need to understand these challenges and to develop guidelines that create sustainable work environments,” Karin explains.

Large survey study
In the DigiStress project, a survey study is being conducted with about 3 500 managers and employees, followed by around 50 interviews.
“In addition to identifying how and why digital stress arises, we are examining how leaders can organize and manage work in hybrid organizations to create a healthy and sustainable workplace.
Two municipalities, ABB, and Kunskapsförbundet Väst are participating in the project. It is a great advantage to include different types of organizations in the research.”
In the second research project, LeadHybrid, the focus is on leadership and innovation work in hybrid organizations. The participating companies, Ericsson and Bosch Rexroth, are both knowledge-intensive and innovative, but with completely different work setups. Ericsson employees mostly work in traditional office environments, while Bosch Rexroth has chosen to have no offices at all – employees can work wherever they want.

Leadership is being challenged
“Here, you can clearly see differences in the companies’ leadership and collaboration cultures. In a physical workplace, leadership is often more visible, but when there is no fixed workplace, leadership is challenged, and leaders must exercise their leadership in new ways to make it clear.”
Hybrid work environments with many different technologies affect not only employees’ health but also companies’ innovation capacity, customer relations, and internal collaboration.
“Knowledge-intensive companies working with innovation have been challenged by the hybrid workplace, as it creates new ways for employees and leaders to interact. The participating companies have seen both advantages and disadvantages of hybrid work, and there is a clear need for more knowledge and clearer guidelines. This means there is great interest in these questions.”

“Contribute to more sustainable workplaces”
In LeadHybrid, researchers together with two PhD students have, among other things, taken part in the companies’ leadership courses and internal group meetings to observe how participants interact.
“We lecture for different target groups alongside the research. My hope is that our conclusions will be useful in many different types of organizations and contribute to more sustainable workplaces and less stress among employees.” Contact & more information
Karin Högberg, Associate Professor in Informatics with a focus on Work-integrated learning, University West.

DigiStress – Digital stress in hybrid organizations – leading and organizing for a sustainable work environment. Funded by AFA Insurance. Participants include several municipalities, ABB, and Kunskapsförbundet Väst. Ongoing 2024–2027.

LeadHybrid – Leadership and collaboration in hybrid work practices in industry. Funded by the KK Foundation. Participants include Bosch Rexroth and Ericsson. Ongoing 2023–2026.
Both projects are part of University West’s research in Industrial Work-integrated learning. The research area is included in Primus – a KK environment where 110 researchers and doctoral students develop new knowledge and expertise in technology and learning in close collaboration with industry.

Read more about the research area: University West – Industrial Work-Integrated Learning