MIT Sloan Management Review Article on How to Increase Collaborative Productivity in a Pandemic

We cannot know the exact contours of what’s ahead in the coming months for the global economy and our places in it. What we do know is that there is a major recession on the horizon and that executive focus will inevitably be on cutting costs and boosting productivity. How can productivity best be achieved in the hybrid home-office working circumstances many companies will be experiencing?

In a poll I conducted during a May 7 webinar with executives from 42 companies across 19 countries, 47% said they believed productive collaboration seemed stronger than before the pandemic. They talked about the positive impact of dismantling bureaucratic processes, using newfound digital skills, and unleashing the energy of shared goals.

That’s good news — for now. But it may not be sustainable in the months to come as fatigue sets in, uncertainty continues, and the all-new challenges of remote work become the norm.

About the Author

Lynda Gratton (@lyndagratton) is a professor of management practice at London Business School and director of the school’s HR Strategy in Transforming Organisations program. She is coauthor of the book The New Long Life: A Framework for Flourishing in a Changing World (Bloomsbury, 2020).

Learn more about MIT SMR.