Informal Communication in Hybrid Working Life: A Blind Spot in Internal Communication
Heide, Mats LU
and Simonsson, Charlotte
LU
(2026)
In Corporate Communications
- Abstract
- This article advances understanding of internal communication in hybrid organizations by examining how informal communication practices are reconfigured across digital and physical contexts. It addresses two research questions: (1) how managers and coworkers experience informal communication in hybrid settings and changes in its conditions, and (2) what new forms of informal communication emerge.
The study draws on qualitative data from three public organizations, based on eight group interviews with 26 lower-level managers and seven group interviews with 21 coworkers, conducted as part of a broader three-year project on leadership, coworkership, and communication in hybrid work.
The study shows that although informal... (More) - This article advances understanding of internal communication in hybrid organizations by examining how informal communication practices are reconfigured across digital and physical contexts. It addresses two research questions: (1) how managers and coworkers experience informal communication in hybrid settings and changes in its conditions, and (2) what new forms of informal communication emerge.
The study draws on qualitative data from three public organizations, based on eight group interviews with 26 lower-level managers and seven group interviews with 21 coworkers, conducted as part of a broader three-year project on leadership, coworkership, and communication in hybrid work.
The study shows that although informal communication is clearly challenged, it does not disappear. Rather, it is transformed, with new forms of digital informal communication emerging. New digital practices emerge as managers and coworkers actively experiment with ways of maintaining interaction. Chat groups, for example, often function as substitutes for hallway conversations. While peer-to-peer communication is relatively easy to sustain digitally, it is more difficult across hierarchical levels and organizational units. Reduced physical co-presence is partly compensated for by deliberately scheduling informal interactions, further blurring boundaries between formal and informal communication.
As chat-based interactions increasingly replace face-to-face encounters, shared norms are crucial for preventing overload and maintaining effectiveness. At the same time, low-threshold interactions, such as brief messages, emojis, and quick check-ins, should be supported, as they foster relational cohesion and facilitate collaboration.
The study shows how hybrid, digitally mediated work reshapes the temporal, spatial, and relational foundations of informal communication.
(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/b44e6a96-aeb7-4b0e-bc30-1c554893f24c
- author
- Heide, Mats
LU
and Simonsson, Charlotte
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-08-11
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- epub
- subject
- keywords
- informal communication, Leadership communication, Flexible working life, Hybrid work
- in
- Corporate Communications
- publisher
- Emerald Group Publishing Limited
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105048015353
- ISSN
- 1356-3289
- DOI
- 10.1108/CCIJ-03-2026-0102
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- b44e6a96-aeb7-4b0e-bc30-1c554893f24c
- alternative location
- https://www.emerald.com/ccij/article-pdf/doi/10.1108/CCIJ-03-2026-0102/11787254/ccij-03-2026-0102en.pdf
- date added to LUP
- 2026-07-22 11:57:46
- date last changed
- 2026-08-30 04:00:46
@article{b44e6a96-aeb7-4b0e-bc30-1c554893f24c,
abstract = {{This article advances understanding of internal communication in hybrid organizations by examining how informal communication practices are reconfigured across digital and physical contexts. It addresses two research questions: (1) how managers and coworkers experience informal communication in hybrid settings and changes in its conditions, and (2) what new forms of informal communication emerge.<br/><br/>The study draws on qualitative data from three public organizations, based on eight group interviews with 26 lower-level managers and seven group interviews with 21 coworkers, conducted as part of a broader three-year project on leadership, coworkership, and communication in hybrid work.<br/><br/>The study shows that although informal communication is clearly challenged, it does not disappear. Rather, it is transformed, with new forms of digital informal communication emerging. New digital practices emerge as managers and coworkers actively experiment with ways of maintaining interaction. Chat groups, for example, often function as substitutes for hallway conversations. While peer-to-peer communication is relatively easy to sustain digitally, it is more difficult across hierarchical levels and organizational units. Reduced physical co-presence is partly compensated for by deliberately scheduling informal interactions, further blurring boundaries between formal and informal communication.<br/><br/>As chat-based interactions increasingly replace face-to-face encounters, shared norms are crucial for preventing overload and maintaining effectiveness. At the same time, low-threshold interactions, such as brief messages, emojis, and quick check-ins, should be supported, as they foster relational cohesion and facilitate collaboration.<br/><br/>The study shows how hybrid, digitally mediated work reshapes the temporal, spatial, and relational foundations of informal communication.<br/>}},
author = {{Heide, Mats and Simonsson, Charlotte}},
issn = {{1356-3289}},
keywords = {{informal communication; Leadership communication; Flexible working life; Hybrid work}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{08}},
publisher = {{Emerald Group Publishing Limited}},
series = {{Corporate Communications}},
title = {{Informal Communication in Hybrid Working Life: A Blind Spot in Internal Communication}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-03-2026-0102}},
doi = {{10.1108/CCIJ-03-2026-0102}},
year = {{2026}},
}