In the new episode of the HPI knowledge podcast Neuland "The future of work is hybrid", Professor Ulrich Weinberg, head of the HPI School of Design Thinking (D-School), talks to host Leon Stebe about testing out new working models, technical requirements and the cultural change in companies, lecture halls and classrooms.

In spring last year, everything suddenly had to happen very quickly: The offices were empty and employees sat in front of their laptops in the home office for many months. Important decisions, teamwork and exchanges between colleagues were shifted to the digital world. Now, the positively experienced and cherished from the digital experience should be integrated into everyday office life. But how can hybrid working - as a new way of working together - be successfully implemented? Because one thing is now clear: the digital boost caused by the Corona pandemic has left its mark and demands a rethink in the profession, teaching and education.

“The majority of our respondents – this applies to employees as well as students – can no longer imagine a 5-day week in presence”, says Weinberg. It is now important to elaborate which activities can continue to be carried out remotely or implemented on site in the future. At the HPI D-School, he and his team have been researching for several months how premises, the technical equipment of desks and the mindset of executives have to change in order to be able to meet the new hybrid world. “The time for individual offices is over, as the need for team rooms for meetings and workshops will grow”, he explains.

Now is the time for prototyping, which requires a certain willingness to innovate in the minds of everyone involved. "It will be a different kind of togetherness - but it all has to be trained and learned," says Weinberg. The development is profitable for society, the environment and the economy in any case: the integration of people who cannot be physically present due to a handicap or for political and economic reasons are included in a participatory way through hybrid models. Across continents, environmental pollution is reduced through less commuting and business travel, as transcontinental collaborations become a matter of course.

The knowledge podcast “Neuland” with experts from the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) can be found at: https://podcast.hpi.de, iTunes and Spotify. It offers profound knowledge about the digital world, explained clearly and comprehensively. Once a month, they talk at Neuland about current and socially relevant digital topics, their research work and the opportunities and challenges of digital trends and developments.