Hybrid working in Higher Education: Changes, challenges and contested working practices

Closes:
Journal
International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior
Guest editor(s)
Dr Alan Johnston, Dr Steven Cock,

Introduction

Several articles have been published in the last few years that have started to question the impact of hybrid working (Gutman et al., 2024; Rupcic, 2024; Schuller et al., 2025; Wilkesmann et al., 2025). Academic, industrial and governmental review have also examined the impact of hybrid work practices on various spheres of working life as well as broader socio-cultural-economic impacts of such trends and developments.

This special issue provides an opportunity to focus, more directly, on higher education as a key sector within the economies of many countries and one that holds global reach and impact. The relative success of higher education institutions can affect local, national and international communities and their development. The types of changes that are involved in moving towards hybrid working patterns hold both opportunity and risk. As a development that emerged predominantly during the COVID-19 pandemic but that continues to shape newer working practices and expectations in higher education today, this special issue provides opportunity for a focussed interrogation of the potential short, medium and long-term implications of hybrid working within the sector. Mathew et al. (2025) describe this evolving nature of the workplace as the “newer normal” within higher education. Whilst remote or hybrid work was deemed a necessity during the Covid and initial post-Covid-19 eras, as the environment has settled, we aim to consider whether hybrid working is the answer as to what the future might hold for the higher education sector.

Recent articles within the International Journal of Organization Theory and Behavior have started to explore these critical issues. This has included the work of Asad et al. (2026) focussing on motivation and work-life balance, Kumar et al. (2026) addressing issues of performance and Johnston et al. (2025) who examined the changing attachment of academics as a result of new and emergent workplace norms within the sector. Such examples offer a flavour of the rich tapestry of articles that are currently under development in this research area.

This special issue therefore seeks to:

  • Consider the changing landscape of hybrid working practices and organisational behaviours within higher education;
  • Understand the challenges for leaders and leadership approaches within higher education institutions of hybrid working practices;
  • Examine the impact of hybrid working practices for key stakeholders in the higher education learning and teaching environment, particularly academic staff and students;
  • Debate the impact of hybrid working on organisational effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of core service provision within the higher education sector;
  • Analyse the challenges and constraints for individual employee development within the higher education context that might result from extended periods of working from home;
  • Discuss emergent areas of debate around flexible working practices and the work-life balance of academics in the higher education sector.

These aims will be met through empirical and theoretical contributions that seek to evaluate current viewpoints on hybrid working within higher education from managerial, academic and professional service perspectives, particularly as such issues relate to the underpinning challenges that currently confront the sector.

 

List of Topic Areas

  1. The changing nature of the hybrid working landscape in higher education.
  2. The challenges of navigating the employee-employer nexus for management and leadership.
  3. The impact of hybrid working on organisational effectiveness, efficiency and core service provision.
  4. Implications for continued employee and organisational development.
  5. The challenges of occupational socialisation for future generations of academics.
  6. Changing expectations, the work-life balance and organisational cultures and behaviours.

 

References

Asad, M.M., Siddiqui, K.A. and Almusharraf, N. (2026). Motivation and challenges of work–life balance among women in higher education institution: insights for the context of Pakistan. International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOTB-08-2025-0248

Gutman, L.M., Perowne, R., Younas, F. and O’Hanrachtaigh, E. (2024). Making hybrid work for diverse staff in higher education: A behaviour change approach. Higher Education Quarterly, 78(3), 784–806. https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.12487

Johnston, A., Cock, S., Walsh, S., Mathew, R.C. (2025). Organisational attachment and the academic: a collaborative autoethnographic reflection within the “newer normal” context of emergent workplace norms in UK higher education. International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOTB-06-2025-0158

Kumar, S., Malhotra, D., Sohbaty, Z. and Sultan, A. (2026). Impact of hybrid work models on job performance: a study through the lens of workplace flexibility and self-determination theories. International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOTB-07-2025-0215

Mathew, R.C., Coombes, P.H., Cock, S., Johnston, A., Walsh, S. and Walker-Smith, L. (2025). Towards a “newer normal”? A bibliometric analysis examining organizational culture in the post-COVID-19 higher education landscape in the United Kingdom. International Journal of Changes in Education 2(3) 207-218. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42023668

Rupcic, N. (2024). Working and learning in a hybrid workplace: challenges and opportunities. The Learning Organization: An International Journal, 31(2), 276–283. https://doi.org/10.1108/TLO-02-2024-303

Schuller, S, Appel-Meulenbroek, R., Bergefurt, L., Arkesteijn, M. and den Heijer, A. (2025). Spatial challenges of hybrid work: an exploration of Dutch university campuses. Facilities. https://doi.org/10.1108/F-12-2024-0168

Wilkesmann, M., Hast, K., Bassyiouny, M. and Becker, J. (2025). Academic hybrid work. Institutional logics and creative assemblies in German universities. Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-025-01567-0

 

Submission Information

Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available at: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ijotb

Author guidelines must be strictly followed. Please see: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/ijotb

Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to “Please select the issue you are submitting to”.

Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.

 

Key Deadlines

Opening date for manuscripts submissions: 28/05/2026

Closing date for manuscripts submission: 30/11/2026