Hybrid working is here to stay. What once began as an emergency solution has long since become an expectation – of employees, but also of an increasingly digitalized economy. However, many companies are struggling to come to terms with this new working reality. The question of leadership in particular is at the heart of the transformation: control or trust – which understanding of leadership is best suited to the “new” reality in the workplace?
The dataglobal Group is clearly positioned here: modern work culture only works on the basis of trust. As a driving force for the digital workplace of the future, we not only provide software, but also a holistic ecosystem that makes hybrid work intelligent, secure and productive.
The control reflex: when old thought patterns get in the way of the new world of work
The hybrid working world is putting established management patterns to a fundamental test. Many managers who have been socialized for years or decades in a presence culture experience the loss of control through home office and mobile working as a threat. What used to be suggested by “visible productivity” at one’s own desk – punctual arrival, long presence, apparent busyness – suddenly disappears in the hybrid model. What remains is uncertainty: Is work really being done? Is the team available? Is nothing getting lost?
This uncertainty leads many managers to take compensatory measures – with the aim of regaining control. The methods range from time recording and attendance tools to status tracking in chat programs (“green dot”) and software that creates screenshots, measures click counts or even monitors keystrokes. Even the seemingly harmless “just checking to see if you’re online” is part of this culture of digital mistrust.
Micromanagement in a digital guise is the result: instead of placing trust in the self-organization and target responsibility of their teams, some managers fall into tight control mechanisms. Daily mandatory updates, seamless reporting obligations and hourly deadlines are no exception, but widespread practice – and they convey one thing above all: mistrust.
The figures paint a clear picture: Only 2% of employees state that they work more productively under direct supervision (IW Cologne, 2024). What’s more, digital monitoring creates stress, damages motivation and leads to internal resignation in the medium term. Trust, on the other hand, has a performance-enhancing effect – 60% of employees say they are more motivated to work if they are allowed to act independently and feel that their superiors trust them.
The control reflex is also psychologically problematic: leadership based on monitoring fails to recognize the needs of hybrid employees. Above all, they want clarity about tasks and goals, reliable communication and an environment in which they can act independently. If there is a lack of trust, hybrid models remain technically feasible – but they lose quality, innovation and sustainability.
Hybrid leadership needs a paradigm shift. Away from the illusion that productivity can be measured by visibility. Towards management based on goals, results and trust. This requires new skills – but also the right tools to ensure transparency, communication and commitment without constant monitoring.
Trust: The productive driver of hybrid teams
Trust is not a soft skill. In a world in which employees are no longer visible in the office on a daily basis, trust is becoming the central basis for effective collaboration. This is not just about interpersonal well-being, but also about very concrete economic effects: According to Accenture, employees in trust-based hybrid companies not only remain healthier and more productive, but also more loyal – an invaluable advantage in an increasingly competitive labor market.
The Fraunhofer IAO also comes to a clear conclusion in its studies: trust, combined with clear communication and digital tools, increases the ability to innovate and adapt – two success factors that hybrid organizations urgently need.
Managers who are prepared to share responsibility and give room for autonomy create psychological security – a state in which people are prepared to give their best, communicate mistakes openly and show initiative. This security is the foundation of productive, creative and resilient teams – especially in decentralized, virtual structures.
Trust does not mean arbitrariness. On the contrary: if you want trust, you have to offer a framework, clarity and reliability. Goals must be transparent, roles clear and processes comprehensible. Then there is no need for complete control, just regular dialog and a common understanding of what is to be achieved.
And this is precisely where the strength of a modern, digital working environment comes into play: it creates the necessary structure to combine trust with transparency – without control. An integrated digital workplace, such as that offered by the dataglobal Group, creates a framework in which employees can access relevant information at any time, manage processes independently and collaborate with colleagues across locations. This makes control superfluous – because orientation, overview and clarity are provided digitally.
What hybrid work really needs: clarity, digital structure and flexibility
Trust does not mean laissez-faire. A trust-based work culture only works if it is built on a stable foundation – and this foundation consists of clarity, structure and flexibility. Many companies make the mistake of confusing trust with “just do it” – but the opposite is true: trust is only effective when goals are clear, processes are transparent and expectations are unambiguous.
If you want to lead in a hybrid setup, you have to actively shape – not control. In concrete terms, this means
- Goal orientation instead of time recording: instead of tracking working time to the minute, it’s all about results. With target systems such as OKR (Objectives & Key Results) or SMART targets, the focus is on impact and contribution – regardless of the location or time of day at which work is carried out.
- Transparent communication: regular check-ins, virtual team updates and structured feedback loops ensure that everyone is in the picture – without constant monitoring. Communication thus becomes a bridge between trust and responsibility.
- Digital infrastructure: Hybrid teams need systems that not only work, but also actively enable collaboration. A strong digital workplace ensures that all information, documents and applications are secure, up-to-date and available regardless of location – from draft contracts to project status.
- Psychological safety: Employees need to know that they can ask questions, contribute ideas and make mistakes – without negative consequences. This is the only way to create a culture of learning and personal responsibility in which innovation can flourish.
- Clear rules for accessibility and boundaries: Hybrid working must not slip into an “always on” mentality. That’s why we need defined availability times, break regulations and digital rest periods. Only those who can switch off will remain productive in the long term.
This clearly shows that trust alone is not enough. A supportive system is needed that guarantees orientation, security and productive collaboration – without lapsing into control.
This is precisely where the dataglobal Group comes in. With our holistic, AI-supported digital workplace ecosystem, we deliver not just software, but an intelligent, integrated platform that combines clarity, efficiency and flexibility. Our solutions combine document management (ECM), workplace management and cyber security to create a seamless digital working environment designed specifically for hybrid teams. This creates a digital backbone that gives employees security, managers transparency and companies the agility they need to not only assert trust, but to make it effective in everyday life.
The dataglobal Group’s answer: an intelligent, integrated digital workplace
The dataglobal Group offers more than just software – we are shaping a new reality of working: intelligent, integrated, intuitive. Our AI-supported digital workplace ecosystem creates the framework in which hybrid collaboration is not only possible, but measurably more successful. Trust is not created here by chance, but through transparency, security and a digital structure that enables orientation and freedom at the same time.
Welcome to Data City – the digital infrastructure for hybrid work
The Data City is our approach to a future-proof, seamless working environment. It combines all the key building blocks of the modern digital workplace into a powerful whole:
- Document management (DMS/ECM)The central pillar of the Data City – structured access to relevant information at all times, versioned, mobile and compliant. The DMS is an archive, administration center and knowledge hub at the same time – essential for smooth collaboration across locations and time zones.
- Business Process Management (BPM): The backbone of process control. It plans, controls and optimizes digital workflows and ensures that everything works together – efficiently, transparently and automatically. Digital workflows and approvals relieve employees of routine tasks. This creates space for creative, responsible work and supports a culture of self-organization – an important component of trusting collaboration.
- Resource management (workplace management): The Data City’s urban planning and logistics office. Workplaces, vehicles, rooms and even emergency accommodation are intelligently managed here – across locations, flexibly and user-friendly. Perfect for modern hybrid usage scenarios.
- Cyber Security: The city wall of the Data City. It protects sensitive data and systems from attacks, especially via email – the most common gateway for cyberattacks. This means that all “residents” can move around the digital city safely – whether remotely, on the move or on site.
Data City: The key to true hybrid work capability
Every solution, every process and every application in the Data City is modular and coordinated – and together they add up to far more than the sum of their individual parts. The result is a seamless, scalable and secure digital infrastructure that combines leadership with trust, efficiency with flexibility and structure with freedom.
In the Data City, leadership is not replaced, but empowered. Smart dashboards and comprehensible processes provide managers with the necessary transparency without exerting control. In turn, teams experience digital working environments that empower them rather than restrict them – whether they are working from home, in the office or on the move.
The Data City is our answer to the requirements of a hybrid working world. It is not only a technological leader, but also a cultural pioneer – because it translates trust into digital practice and enables companies to live a modern working culture in a sustainable way.
Conclusion: Trust is not a risk – it is the prerequisite for success
Hybrid working not only places technical demands on companies – it also requires a radical rethink of management culture. The old idea that control equals productivity is no longer valid. On the contrary: control breeds mistrust, blocks personal responsibility and stifles innovation.
Trust, on the other hand, is the key to a resilient, creative and high-performance organization – especially in a digital and hybrid context. However, trust only works if it is supported by clear structures, smart tools and modern communication. It needs orientation instead of monitoring, digital support instead of control, leadership at eye level instead of micromanagement.
The dataglobal Group stands for precisely this change. We are not just a provider of digital solutions – we are a driving force for a new way of working that sees technology as an enabler. Our integrated digital workplace ecosystem combines document management, HR, workplace management and cyber security into an intelligent platform that makes hybrid collaboration simple, secure and efficient.
We help companies to establish a culture of trust – with digital tools that provide structure, simplify processes and at the same time enable freedom. In this way, we create space for what really matters: human connection, creative performance and sustainable productivity.
Experience with the dataglobal Group how modern leadership, trust and digital excellence work together – for a working world that is future-proof, human and efficient.