InPro-Hym: inclusive and productive hybrid meetings

The InPro-Hym project focuses on hybrid meetings: meetings where some participants are in the same physical room while others participate via digital tools. These meetings have become "the new normal" and they are often a way for an organization to begin the journey towards the new ways of working that digitalisation makes possible. Hybrid meetings imply new opportunities for both organizations and employees, but also lead to new challenges. InPro-Hym therefore aims to create a research-based method for organizing and conducting hybrid meetings. The project is based on a co-producing approach and brings together an interdisciplinary team of researchers and professionals from two organisations in need of more knowledge, Hitachi Energy and the City of Västerås, with experience of hybrid meetings and of developing digital work practices. Hybrid meetings are much more difficult to organize and conduct compared to face-to-face or completely digital meetings, which means that inclusion, relating and participation need to be worked on in new ways. Another important question is how we can create a sense of moving forward together: how the meeting can be productive. This requires thinking digitally first, which means several strategic choices and the initiation of conscious change in work practices and norms rather than focusing on technical solutions only. A research-based method for organizing and conducting hybrid meetings is therefore of great value for future strategic choices and change management efforts. The method will be among others described in a digital handbook available to those who are interested.