The evolution of relationship management from remote to hybrid work

Abstract

Purpose This study explores how first-line managers adapt relationship management practices during the transition from onsite to remote and hybrid work amid prolonged uncertainty. Design/methodology/approach A longitudinal case study using temporal bracketing analyzed 49 interviews with seven first-line managers over one year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings Managers initially compensated for reduced physical proximity and social cues through sensing and visibility practices. As remote work persisted, these practices became routinized and distributed through team relationships. With the transition to hybrid work, managers selectively integrated physical and virtual interaction based on the relational information each provided. Across these phases, managers progressively reconstructed social awareness. Practical implications Managers can support relationship management in hybrid work by deliberately creating opportunities for social awareness across physical and virtual interactions. Organizations can facilitate this through interaction structures, peer-learning opportunities and training to help managers recognize and respond to relational cues across distributed teams. Originality/value This study conceptualizes relationship management as a dynamic process that evolves through compensation, routinization, distribution and selective integration as managers’ access to physical proximity and social cues changes.