Digital Transformation’s Foundation: Structural and Managerial Issues and Obstacles of Hybrid Work
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36690/2674-5208-2026-2-97-114Keywords:
hybrid work, remote work, digital transformation, digital leadership, organizational culture, employee well-being, work-life balance, technostress, cybersecurity, performance evaluation, trust-based management, Job Demands-Resources theoryAbstract
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the global transition from traditional office-based work to remote and hybrid work models. Although hybrid work offers flexibility, improved work-life balance, reduced commuting time, and broader access to talent, its sustainable implementation remains a complex organizational challenge. Hybrid work affects not only the location of work but also technological infrastructure, managerial practices, organizational culture, communication systems, and employee well-being. The objective of this study is to examine the structural, managerial, organizational, and individual barriers encountered in hybrid work systems and to develop strategic recommendations for their sustainable implementation in the context of digital transformation. The study applies a qualitative conceptual and analytical approach based on a structured literature review and thematic synthesis. The analysis is grounded in the Job Demands-Resources theory and Conservation of Resources theory, which explain the relationship between job demands, organizational resources, employee well-being, and performance in digitally mediated work environments. Selected statistical evidence is also integrated to support the relevance of hybrid and remote work. The study identifies four main groups of barriers. Structural barriers include technological infrastructure limitations, physical workspace transformation, and cybersecurity risks. Managerial barriers concern insufficient digital leadership competencies, outdated performance evaluation systems, weak feedback mechanisms, and the trust-control dilemma. Organizational barriers are related to culture erosion, communication breakdowns, knowledge management problems, information overload, and perceived inequality in career opportunities. Individual barriers include technostress, burnout, blurred work-life boundaries, social isolation, quiet quitting, and health-related risks. Sustainable hybrid work requires strategic alignment between technology, leadership, organizational culture, fairness, and employee well-being. Hybrid work should be understood as a comprehensive organizational transformation rather than a temporary or purely technical arrangement. Future studies should focus on longitudinal effects of hybrid work, intergenerational differences, sectoral comparisons, cross-cultural contexts, and the impact of artificial intelligence and immersive technologies on hybrid work dynamics.
Downloads
References
Al Khatib, I., Alasheh, S., & Shamayleh, A. (2024). The drivers of complexity in inventory management within the healthcare industry. International Journal of Service Science, Management, Engineering, and Technology, 15(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJSSMET.347332
Al-Twal, A., Jarrar, D. M. F., Bedevian, V., & Eblan, M. (2025). Unlocking potential: Examining Generation Z's vision for career growth in the Jordanian context. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 33(11), 4419–4443. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-10-2024-4887
Balagopal, N., & Mathew, S. K. (2024). Exploring the factors influencing information security policy compliance and violations: A systematic literature review. Computers & Security, 147, Makale 104062. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cose.2024.104062
Biea, E. A., Dinu, E., Bunica, E., & Jerdea, L. (2023). Recruitment in SMEs: The role of managerial practices, technology and innovation. European Business Review, 36(3), 361–391. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-05-2023-0162
Brakenridge, C. L., OPazo-Bardi, T., Gunning, K., Winkler, E. A. H., Fjeldsoe, B. S., & Dunstan, D. W. (2025). Barriers, facilitators and acceptability of health promotion initiatives and behaviours in contact centre workers: A systematic review. Safety Science, 191, Makale 106945. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2025.106945
Bueechl, J., Härting, R., Beltempo, L., Bühner, C., & Drechsler, M. (2023). Impact of COVID-19 on employee satisfaction and trust with focus on working from home. Procedia Computer Science, 225, 2567–2574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2023.10.248
Cavalcanti, A. B., Alves, C., & Araújo, J. (2025). Exploring the impact of feedback on remote software development teams. Information and Software Technology, 179, Makale 107649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2024.107649
Cheng, B. H., Zhou, Y., & Chen, F. (2023). You've got mail! How work e-mail activity helps anxious workers enhance performance outcomes. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 144, Makale 103881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2023.103881
Cram, W. A., & Marabelli, M. (2018). Have your cake and eat it too? Simultaneously pursuing the knowledge-sharing benefits of agile and traditional development approaches. Information & Management, 55(3), 322–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2017.08.005
Demerouti, E. (2025). Job demands-resources and conservation of resources theories: How do they help to explain employee well-being and future job design? Journal of Business Research, 192, Makale 115296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115296
Dwivedi, Y. K., Kshetri, N., Hughes, L., Ribeiro-Navarrete, S., Chang, J. R., Stornaiuolo, A., Duan, Y., Deng, Y. H., Jansen, B. J., Shah, J., Tan, T. M., Chiu, P.-S., Chang, H.-W., Jeng, B.-C., Lin, S.-J., Hsu, Y.-T., Shah, M. H., Al-Busaidi, A. S., Al-Sharji, A., . . . Yan, M. (2023). Opinion paper: "So what if ChatGPT wrote it?" Multidisciplinary perspectives on opportunities, challenges and implications of generative conversational AI for research, practice and policy. International Journal of Information Management, 71, Makale 102642. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2023.102642
Eurofound. (2024). Teleworking and hybrid work. European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.
Fextra, F., Faria, J., Azevedo, A., & Marques, A. L. (2017). Product lifecycle management in knowledge intensive collaborative environments: An application to automotive industry. International Journal of Information Management, 37(1), 1474–1487. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2016.05.006
Gallup. (2026). Global indicator: Hybrid work. Gallup.
Gonzalez-Carreon, K. M., Martinez-Molina, A., Arroyo-Cabrales, J., & Dutton, S. M. (2026). From annual benchmarks to dynamic behaviour: A scalable multi-level analysis framework for energy performance in buildings. Energy and Buildings, 353, Makale 116894. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2025.116894
Horváth, D., Coskun, A., Ögüt, O., Coskun, H., & Kim, B. (2021). Will interfaces take over the physical workplace in higher education? A pessimistic view of the future. Journal of Corporate Real Estate, 24(2), 108–123. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRE-10-2020-0052
Javid, R. J., Nejat, A., Moradi, E., & Khajeh-Hosseini, M. (2023). Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban infrastructure. Advances in Transport Policy and Planning, 12, 91–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.atpp.2023.09.001
Jin, S. (2024). Interdisciplinary perspective on architectural programming: Current status and future directions. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 32(11), 7332–7372. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-04-2024-0408
Jo, H. (2025). Interplay among collaborative culture, empowerment leadership, and IT work environment in the public sector: A mixed methods study. International Journal of Information Management, 82, Makale 102883. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102883
Junglas, I., Goel, L., Rehm, S.-V., & Ives, B. (2022). On the benefits of consumer IT in the workplace: An IT empowerment perspective. International Journal of Information Management, 64, Makale 102478. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2022.102478
Kim, S., Park, J., Lee, H., & Choi, Y. (2026). Human-guided collective LLM intelligence for strategic planning via two-stage information retrieval. Information Processing & Management, 63(1), Makale 104288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ipm.2025.104288
Koponen, J., Salin, L., & Cortellazzo, L. (2026). Dual edge: Exploring technological affordances and constraints of video technology in e-leadership. Information Technology & People, 39(8), 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-09-2024-1157
Kyambade, M., & Namatovu, A. (2025). Transforming the public service via digital leadership in Uganda. International Journal of Public Leadership, 21(1), 37–53. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPL-07-2024-0080
Laborie, C., Srimani, S., Dumas, M., & Naro, G. (2026). The benefits of an enabling managerial control style in a teleworking situation: A latent profile analysis. European Management Journal, 44(1), 145–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2024.12.005
Lemmetty, S., & Riivari, E. (2024). Managers' perceptions of meaningfulness in the future work. Journal of Advances in Management Research, 22(2), 219–237. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAMR-09-2023-0281
Ly, D., Overeem, M., Brinkkemper, S., & Dalpiaz, F. (2025). The power of words in agile vs. waterfall development: Written communication in hybrid software teams. Journal of Systems and Software, 219, Makale 112243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2024.112243
Microsoft. (2022). Hybrid work is just work. Are we doing it wrong? Microsoft Work Trend Index.
Mitchell, A., & Brewer, P. E. (2022). Leading hybrid teams: Strategies for realizing the best of both worlds. Organizational Dynamics, 51(3), Makale 100866. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2021.100866
Pigola, A., & Meirelles, F. S. (2025). Zero trust in cybersecurity: Managing critical challenges for effective implementation. Journal of Systems and Information Technology, 27(4), 517–564. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSIT-08-2024-0326
Raj, G., & Gogoi, A. (2024). What we do not see, does exist: Exploring the realities of work engagement in virtual teams. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 33(9), 3246–3271. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-03-2024-4362
Shahpure, N. H., Rekha, P. M., & Varsha. (2025). Metaverse: A detailed review. Advances in Computers, 139, 327–348. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.adcom.2025.03.019
Soroka-Potrzebna, H. (2022). Barriers of knowledge management in virtual project teams: A TISM model. Procedia Computer Science, 207, 800–809. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2022.09.135
Stray, V., Moe, N. B., Hoda, R., & Sjøberg, D. I. K. (2025). Teamwork in agile software development: A mixed-method study of gender diversity and collaboration dynamics. Information and Software Technology, 187, Makale 107840. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2025.107840
Suh, A., & Lee, J. (2017). Understanding teleworkers' technostress and its influence on job satisfaction. Internet Research, 27(1), 140–159. https://doi.org/10.1108/IntR-06-2015-0181
Suhariadi, F., Herachwati, N., Suminar, D. R., & Rahaju, S. (2023). Work from home: A behavioral model of Indonesian education workers' productivity during COVID-19. Heliyon, 9(3), Makale e14082. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14082
Türkeş, M. C., Dumitru, I., Pavel, C., & Stancu, A. (2024). Changes in the labour market: The perceptions of Romanian employees regarding the use of telework in the post-pandemic period. Employee Relations, 46(3), 585–621. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-06-2023-0317
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). American Time Use Survey: 2025 results. U.S. Department of Labor.
Uysal, N., & Kim, Y. (2025). Why go the extra mile? Re-engaging quiet quitters through dialogic communication and community building in the workplace. Public Relations Review, 51(1), Makale 102537. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2024.102537
Yin, P., Wang, W., Wang, C., & Liang, L. (2023). Does enterprise social media use in the post-acceptance stage improve employee autonomy? Industrial Management & Data Systems, 123(8), 2055–2078. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-10-2022-0656
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
