Leadership in virtual teams: A multilevel perspective

Virtual team-cooperation from home-office: a quantitative diary study of the impact of daily transformational- and passive-avoidant leadership - and the moderating role of task interdependence

During the Covid-19 pandemic, most of the workforce moved from office setting to home-office and virtual teamwork. Whereas the relationship between leadership and team cooperation in physical settings is well documented - less is known about how daily virtual team cooperation is influenced by daily constructive as well as destructive leadership, and how intervening mechanisms influence this relationship. In the present study, we test the direct effect of daily transformational- and passive avoidant leadership, respectively, on the daily quality of virtual team cooperation - and the moderating effect of task interdependence. Using virtual team cooperation as outcome, we hypothesized that (a) transformational leadership relates positively to virtual team cooperation, (b) passive-avoidant leadership relates negatively, and (c) moderated by task interdependence. Our hypotheses were tested in a 5-day quantitative diary study with 58 convenience sampled employees working from home in virtual teams. The results show that virtual team cooperation is a partially malleable process - with 28% variation in daily virtual team cooperation resulting from within team variation from day to day. Surprisingly, the results of multilevel modeling lend support only to the first hypothesis (a). Taken together, our findings suggest that in virtual settings, inspirational and development-oriented transformational leadership plays a key role in daily team cooperation, while passive-avoidance has little impact - independently of task interdependence. Hence, in virtual team settings, the study shows that "good is stronger than bad" - when comparing the negative effects of destructive leadership to the positive effect of constructive and inspirational leadership. We discuss the implications of these findings for further research and practice.

Bridging distance through zooming? The use of virtual assignments in multinational corporations

Purpose

Virtual assignments, in which the virtual assignees do not relocate to host locations, but work remotely, have several advantages compared to traditional international assignments, such as enhanced flexibility, cost-efficiency and the possibility that virtual assignees can stay in their home communities. However, it is open to question whether virtual assignments are as effective as traditional assignments. The purpose of this study is to compare the ability of virtual vs traditional assignees to bridge the distance between headquarters and subsidiaries.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a survey among virtual and traditional assignees, the ability to bridge multiple facets of distance is examined.

Findings

The results indicate that virtual and traditional assignees have similar abilities to bridge geographic, cultural, functional and language distance. However, traditional assignees have a higher ability to bridge emotional and temporal distance.

Originality/value

By applying the distance framework to virtual assignments, a new theoretical perspective is introduced and the importance of clearly disentangling distance-bridging abilities is highlighted. One practical recommendation is that, due to lower costs and reduced coordination efforts required for virtual assignments, this assignment type is preferable if the cultural, language, functional and geographic distances are the most problematic ones during international assignments.

Exploring the impact of virtual leadership on job satisfaction in the post-COVID-19 era: The mediating role of work–life balance and trust in leaders

Leadership remains a highly important role in the management of employees' psychological and physical well-being, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. As various sectors adapted virtual settings to overcome the restrictions posed by the pandemic, the vitality of virtual leaders became more pivotal as they could enhance the virtual work environment for employees and steer teams toward organizational goals. This study assessed the effect of virtual leaders on employees' job satisfaction in the information technology sector as a high-performance industry. Furthermore, the mediating effects of trust in leaders and work–life balance on the virtual leadership–job satisfaction relationship were assessed in the proposed model of this research. Through a deductive quantitative approach and using purposive and convenience sampling techniques, a total of 196 respondents participated in the research. The data analysis process was deployed via Smart PLS software and the PLS-SEM technique. The results showed that virtual leaders play a major role in determining information technology (IT) employees' job satisfaction while the mediating effects of both trust in leaders and work–life balance are significant factors that can enhance the work environment for leaders to achieve better results. The statistically significant findings of this research suggest a number of positive work outcomes and pathways with scholarly and managerial implications that can be beneficial for leaders in relevant sectors.

The effect of COVID-19 on managerial leadership style within Australian public sector organizations

This study investigates the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on leadership styles within Australian public sector organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative methodology was employed for this research consisting of semi-structured interviews with 50 managers. The study results suggest the pandemic affected managers’ leadership style, managers’ and employees’ emotions, stress and anxiety, and organizational performance and productivity. Changes in leadership style to incorporate being supportive, informative, and motivational to match the change in situation were found to be effective. This addresses a gap in the literature by identifying these three leadership styles as being important for employee support during the pandemic.

Sharing leadership behaviors in virtual teams: effects of shared leadership behaviors on team member satisfaction and productivity

Purpose

Virtual collaboration in teams becomes increasingly popular at work. With the advantages of working in virtual teams come leadership challenges for which the shared leadership theory is discussed as a potential solution. While previous empirical studies investigating shared leadership in virtual teams generally confirm positive effects on team outcomes, this study aims to investigate in detail the leadership behaviors that are typically shared in these settings and how these shared leadership behaviors affect individual level outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

Individuals from different teams participated in a questionnaire study (n = 411). Structural equation modeling was used to assess the effects of shared task- and relations-oriented leadership behaviors on team member’s subjectively perceived productivity and satisfaction with leadership.

Findings

Results indicate that shared task-oriented leadership behaviors have a significant positive effect on subjectively perceived productivity and satisfaction with leadership, while relations-oriented leadership behaviors have a significant negative effect. A hypothesis stipulating a moderating effect of task interdependence was not confirmed.

Practical implications

Practical implications include that in virtual teams with hierarchical organizational structures, it may be recommended that task-oriented leadership behaviors are shared among team members, whereas relations-oriented leadership behaviors should remain the responsibility of the official leader.

Originality/value

The findings complement previous research with new insights on behavioral dimensions of shared leadership and their effects on outcomes on the level of the individual.

Criteria and Guidelines for Human-Centered Work Design in a Digitally Transformed World of Work: Findings from a Formal Consensus Process

With the increasing digital transformation, work tasks are changing-in some cases, significantly. Our study addresses the question of whether the established criteria for work design are still sufficient or if they should get updated and additional criteria become necessary in the context of digitalization. In a multistage consensus process involving interdisciplinary groups of experts, we have identified specific criteria for the humane design of work in a world increasingly permeated by digitalized work tools. Starting with an expert workshop using a combined nominal group/focus group technique, followed by a real-time Delphi study, a content analysis and a five-stage peer comment process, we detected 13 criteria and 38 design guidelines for human-centered work in digital transformation. Mapping these with established criteria, it became apparent that some established criteria have experienced a new dynamic because of the digital transformation. For other criteria, a need for digitization-sensitive design is discernible. In addition, criteria have emerged whose necessity is rooted in the digital transformation. A diffusion and stronger interconnection of the various levels of the work system in connection with the digital transformation of work is apparent.

Virtual leadership in relation to employees' mental health, job satisfaction and perceptions of isolation: A scoping review

Background

The significant increase of digital collaboration, driven by the current COVID-19 pandemic, is resulting in changes in working conditions and associated changes in the stress-strain perception of employees. Due to the evident leadership influence on employees' health and well-being in traditional work settings, there is a need to investigate leadership in virtual remote work contexts as well. The objective of this scoping review was to assess the extent and type of evidence concerning virtual leadership in relation to employees' mental health, job satisfaction and perceptions of isolation.

Method

A search was undertaken in five databases, PubMed, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, PSYNDEX and Web of Science, as well as reference lists of included articles on 9th February 2021 and an update on 28th September 2021. The search strategy was limited to English, German and French language, peer reviewed journal articles published from January 2000 onwards. This scoping review was conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the JBI critical appraisal tools. A narrative synthesis was conducted.

Results

Nineteen studies met the eligibility criteria for this review. Overarching review findings suggested a positive link between virtual leadership and well-being, job satisfaction, and a negative link to psychological strain, stress and perceptions of isolation of digitally collaborating employees.

Conclusions

By mapping the available evidence on virtual leadership in relation to health and work-related employee outcomes, the review identified many research gaps in terms of content and methodology. Due to limited data, causal relationships were not derived. Future research is needed to examine the complex cause-and-effect relationships of virtual leadership in more detail.

Leading via virtual communication: a longitudinal field experiment on work team creativity in an extreme context

COVID-19 has prompted diverse responses from governments and created an extreme context for organizations to operate. In this context, company leaders face fluctuated macrolevel policies, endure physical separation from their members, and must rely on virtual communication to conduct teamwork. Yet little is known about what and how leader communication can be effective in inducing team creativity to survive the extreme context. Building on the affective events theory and the literature on media richness, we develop a theoretical model explicating how leaders’ rich (as opposed to lean) virtual communication can mitigate the negative impact of stringent government responses to COVID-19 on work team creativity via a sequential mediation process: first by inhibiting team anxiety and then by facilitating team information elaboration. Data from a three-stage eight-day longitudinal field experiment, in combination with an experience sampling method with 251 employees, on a chain preschool in eight Chinese cities, provide strong support for the hypothesized model.

Digital Leadership: A Bibliometric Analysis

Digital disruption has changed organizations in an unprecedented way. The thriving field of digital leadership is expanding fast and few retrospective studies on this evolution have been made so far. This study presents a bibliometric and network analysis combining both Scopus and Web of Science databases to provide fresh insights into the evolution of the digital leadership research field. This study is based on a review of 79 publications from 57 journals, published between 2000 and 2020. The newness of the topic and the range of journals in which it is published confirms that digital leadership has gained interest from several different areas. Bibliometric analysis provides a description of the research field identifying the leading publishing journals, affiliation statistics, and most influential authors and expressive publications in the research field. Network analyses identify keyword evolution over time, co-citation relationships, and research clusters. Content analysis is used to identify key topics in the field with attention paid to interrelations among them. A brief description of each paper in the dataset and its methodological approach is provided. The results suggest that the topic will continue to attract more research, as it has not yet entered its maturity stage. This paper contributes to the literature by analyzing the relationship between digital leadership and e-leadership. This study also identifies the most leading digital leadership capabilities for a fast-changing world. Limitations and future avenues are also discussed.

Virtual team performance: E-leadership roles in the era of COVID-19

Purpose

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation has led to the emergence of virtual teams in all organizations, and the role of leadership has become more pertinent. The current research focuses on understanding the factors for better team performance in virtual teams. Based on the contingency perspective, the behavioral complexity in leadership (BCL) theory is the most appropriate as BCL requires the leader to demonstrate multiple contrasting leadership behaviors according to the situation. Both internal as well external roles were explored, which could facilitate better communication quality and role clarity to increase interpersonal trust and leadership effectiveness in the current crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from employees who have worked in virtual teams during the crisis and who have experience of working in a virtual team environment. A total of 200 questionnaires were distributed, and 175 were received. A path model was built applying partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

Findings

Communication quality has come as a partial mediator for the relationship between internal and external leadership roles and trust. Role clarity fully mediated the relationship between external leadership roles and conflict. Internal and external leadership roles showed a significant effect on leadership effectiveness, which were further related to team performance in virtual teams. Additionally, synchronous technology was used more by virtual teams.

Research limitations/implications

The study did not examine cultural differences or cultural adaptation in virtual teams. Instead of the BCL theory, future research may apply attribute-based or relational-based theory to examine leadership roles in virtual team performance.

Originality/value

Using the BCL theory, the current study contributes to an understanding of virtual team performance and the internal as well as external role of leaders. This is relevant in an environment of extreme ambiguity such as COVID-19.

Adding Knowledge to Virtual Teams in the New Normal: From Leader-Team Communication towards the Satisfaction with Teamwork

The present paper sets out to investigate the relationships among several key constructs that cover the work patterns and processes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Emphasis is laid on the leader-team communication, the fostering of a strong team culture, team performance and satisfaction with teamwork in the case of virtual teams. The scrutiny is intended to complement recent developments in the field which compared traditional and virtual teams at different levels by adding knowledge to virtual teams’ communication and interaction patterns and processes. In this vein, an online survey was conducted with 175 members from different virtual teams. The findings showed the advancement of a pertinent conceptual model, mostly displaying significant relationships among constructs. Four out of the five formulated hypotheses were validated, the highest influences being reported between leader-team communication and team culture, respectively, and between team performance and satisfaction with teamwork. Furthermore, the structural model explained over 50% of the variance in the satisfaction with teamwork, thus supporting the relevance of the inferred relationships.

Productivity analysis in work from home modality: An exploratory study considering an emerging country scenario in the COVID-19 context

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic affected the work environment worldwide and forced companies to adopt work from home (WFH) suddenly. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to identify factors that influence productivity in the WFH modality, considering the Brazilian scenario in the COVID-19 context. METHODS: The approach used was a Delphi method with 19 specialists in the subject. Three rounds were conducted; in the third round, specialists indicated how the factor influences productivity through a scale. For the data collected in this last round, data was analysed via Grey Relational Analysis technique. RESULTS: The results indicated that 17 factors could influence productivity in the WFH modality in the analysed context. Comparatively, the five factors with more capacity to influence productivity are 1) Availability of adequate equipment and peripherals to develop the work activities; 2) leadership support; 3) The adequate place to develop work activities; 4) Internet and electricity supply stability; and 5) Clarity from the collaborator regarding their role in the company, responsibilities and activities to be developed. The frequency analysis indicated that factors affect at least moderately productivity in WFH modality. CONCLUSIONS: This article contributes to increasing knowledge associated with the WFH modality in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The information present here can be used by academics and managers, even in a post-pandemic scenario, to debate productivity in remote work modalities.

Do digital competencies and social support boost work engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic?

In today's world of work, the need for digital communication and collaboration competencies became even more prevalent during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, research and practice are lacking solid measurement instruments assessing digital communication and collaboration competencies of workers so far. Furthermore, it is yet unknown if digital communication and collaboration competencies and other so far known resources indeed act as drivers of work engagement during the pandemic. Based on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model and the conservation of resources theory, we hypothesized that personal (digital communication and collaboration competencies) and job (social support) resources positively influence each other over time, also boosting work engagement. In a cross-lagged study design during the pandemic, we investigated our hypotheses in a sample of German workers (N = 231). Against our expectations, we did not find support for effects from personal or job resources on work engagement over time or effects of the resources influencing each other. Instead, we found high stabilities of digital communication and collaboration competencies and work engagement. Our results provide important insights into the motivational process of individuals working during a pandemic. The theoretical and practical implications for the JD-R model in times of crisis are discussed.

Leading Remotely in a Time of Crisis: Relationships with Emotional Intelligence

Leaders around the world have been thrust into leading remotely, using virtual platforms and other various technologies to communicate and stay engaged with their employees and teams during this current extraordinary global crisis. Previous research supports that leaders share concerns around trust, communication, engagement, and support when leading remotely. Prior research also identifies “people skills” as essential in overcoming these concerns. We propose that emotional intelligence is essential in leading remotely during crisis situations. Thus, the current study explores the relationships between the construct of emotional intelligence and the emotional intelligence composites of self-perception, self-expression, interpersonal relationships, decision-making, and stress management with leader concerns when leading remotely during a time of crisis.

What will mobile and virtual work look like in the future?—Results of a Delphi-based study

This contribution to the journal “Group. Interaction. Organization.” (GIO) takes a closer look at the mobile work of the future. Mobile work as well as virtual collaboration is becoming more and more integrated into our everyday working lives—not least reinforced by the COVID-19 Pandemic. In a Delphi-based study, we investigated the question of what mobile and virtual work will look like in the future. For this purpose, 35 future scenarios were described or processed in four rounds with a total of 460 experts and their desirability and probability of occurrence were evaluated. Positive developments are expected for the organization in terms of technology (e.g., advances in virtuality and artificial intelligence), leadership (e.g., increase in shared leadership and participation) and the work-life integration of employees (e.g., more flexibility and self-management). Negative effects are seen for teamwork (e.g., it becomes more difficult to build and maintain team cohesion and social exchange). How the challenges can be dealt with in terms of work design is shown and discussed.

Difficulties experienced by managers in the coordination of teams working from home: an exploratory study considering the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose

This research aims to analyse difficulties experienced by Brazilian managers in coordinating teams working from home during the coronavirus disease (2019) COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodological strategy used was a survey with 39 managers who led teams working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seven difficulties indicated by current literature were analysed using a fuzzy scale. First, a hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) approach was used to group managers according to managers' similarities and capacity to infer the difficulties. Responses of each group identified were weighted considering the capacity to assess the theme. In the sequence, data were analysed via frequencies and the fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) approach and difficulties were ordered.

Findings

Comparatively, the main difficulties evidenced are (1) to reconcile personal and professional life tasks in the same place; (2) to motivate collaborators in a period when social isolation affect employee's mental health and (3) to keep team members integrated and working within the activities scope in a virtual environment.

Originality/value

The findings present in this paper contribute to theory and practice. For theory, this article contributes to the knowledge on WFH and leadership, evidencing in a comparatively way the difficulties that are experienced by managers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers in future studies can better analyse these difficulties. For practice, managers who conduct managers' teams remotely can use the information to analyse teams' practices and improve performance critically. This was an atypical moment of humanity, and different aspects need to be considered by managers compared with previous periods.

Contrasting Traditional and Virtual Teams within the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic: From Team Culture towards Objectives Achievement

The current paper aimed to comparatively scrutinize some key dimensions apposite for the dynamics of traditional versus virtual teams in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Emphasis was laid on the positive leadership perception, communication effectiveness among team members, objectives achievement, diversity approach, and the perception of team culture strength. Invitations to fill in an online questionnaire consisting of paired items were sent in January 2022 via email to over 200 potential respondents working in both traditional and virtual teams, using a snowball sampling technique; 137 subjects completed the entire questionnaire, hence allowing a reasonable research sample for conducting relevant statistical analyses (i.e., paired t-test given that the aim was to investigate the difference between paired sets of variables for the same issues). The empirical exploration brought to the fore significant differences among the considered dimensions, thus underscoring the benefits and drawbacks of working in traditional versus virtual teams in the context of the new normal. Evidence was brought forward that teamwork in traditional teams (i.e., based on face-to-face interaction) is preferable to that in virtual teams (i.e., based on online interaction). Meaningful differences were observed regarding the perception of team culture strength, communication effectiveness, positive leadership perception, and diversity approach in favor of traditional teams, the questioned respondents opting for the offline coordination and collaboration processes.

Forced to go virtual. Working-from-home arrangements and their effect on team communication during COVID-19 lockdown

Working-from-home arrangements have become increasingly important for firms’ work organization. In this context, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to teams that previously did not work virtually being forced to interact and communicate virtually. In this study, we analyze changes in intra-team communication of four teams in a German medium-sized enterprise. Quantitative network analyses of email communication and qualitative analyses of interviews before and during the COVID-19 lockdown in spring 2020 show that flat hierarchies and self-managing processes helped team members to mitigate negative effects due to spatial and temporal dispersion in forced working-from-home arrangements. Moreover, analysis of the teams’ communication networks shows that forced remote work can trigger faultlines to become salient but that team cohesion, identification with the team, and individuals taking on broker roles prevent negative effects of faultlines on team performance. In discussing these findings, our study contributes to the research on coordination and communication in virtual teams by analyzing contextual, organizational, team-related as well as individual factors that explain how and why teams differ in successfully implementing working-from-home arrangements.

Uncovering the complexities of remote leadership and the usage of digital tools during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative diary study

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way people work and live. More people than ever work from home. Due to the sudden changes, leaders are faced with various challenges, such as the fear of loss of control or keeping their teams motivated. In this study, we explore the daily experiences of leaders aiming to work effectively while using digital tools and working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. The overarching purpose of our study is to gain a better understanding about how leaders navigate the complexities of crisis-induced remote leadership by the use of digital tools by addressing the following questions: (1) Which practices do leaders use to deal with the complexities of day-to-day remote leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic? (2) How do different digital tools fit the diverse leadership practices? (3) What drives and inhibits leaders’ effectiveness in dealing with the complexities of remote leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic? To explore these research questions, we draw on longitudinal data from 155 qualitative diaries written by 31 leaders over a five-work-day period. We identify four categories of leadership practices, namely (1) solve problems collaboratively and monitor team progress, (2) create space for socialising and teambuilding, (3) make the team feel supported and encourage feedback and (4) communicate to build a virtual culture of trust. Our findings reveal that leaders demonstrate a broad repertoire of leadership practices, whereby relation orientation is more pronounced than task orientation. Moreover, leaders tend to focus on operational and team-oriented leadership practices, and they encounter the challenge of choosing the right digital tool to match their message. Our study’s results show that they use a variety of digital tools, but video conferences seem especially suitable for supporting remote leadership practices. However, several factors have impacts on remote leadership effectiveness, which we consider in the managerial implications.

Performance of Academic Staff during COVID-19 Pandemic-Induced Work Transformations: An IPO Model for Stress Management

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected all spheres of services-related business, including the higher education sector. As a pre-emptive measure, almost all traditional educational institutions have been transformed into virtual organizations. This pandemic-induced work transition has created stress among academic staff and has hampered their performance. The present study aims to examine the impact of leadership behaviors, e-training, and employment security on the stress management process, consequently improving employee performance during and after the pandemic. Based on the IPO (input–process–output) model, this study examines the effect of leadership behavior, e-training, and employment security on teaching staff’s tasks and adaptive and contextual performance, mediated by stress management. To test the conceptual model, data were collected from the teaching staff of Malaysian universities. The structural equation modeling technique was used for data analysis, while bootstrapping with the maximum likelihood estimator was used to confirm the mediational role of stress management. The study revealed that task- and relation-oriented leadership behavior, e-training, and employment security positively influence stress management and employee performance in virtual organizations. Moreover, stress management acts as a full mediator in the relationship between leadership behavior and employee performance, while partial mediation occurs between e-training, employment security, and employee performance. This study offers valuable insights into the literature by proposing leadership behavior, e-training, and employment security as input in the stress management process to attain the performance output of teaching staff. Higher education institutions should come forward to assist their teaching employees in managing their stress levels for better outcomes.

Exploring the remote work challenges in the era of COVID-19 pandemic: review and application model

Purpose

Remote work (RW) literature is a megatrend in HRM literature, and the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of RW as a concept and an organisational practice. Given the large number of papers being published on remote work, there is a need for a critical review of the extant literature using bibliometric analysis. This paper examines the literature on remote working to identify the factors crucial for managing a remote workforce. This study uses the complex adaptive systems theory as a foundation to build a framework that organisations can use to manage their remote workforce, focusing on three outcomes: employee engagement, collaboration and organisational agility.

Design/methodology/approach

Bibliometric analysis was conducted on the research published in Scopus journal in the area of remote work, followed by critical literature analysis.

Findings

The bibliometric analysis identified five clusters that reflect five organisational factors which the management can align to achieve the desired outcomes of engagement, collaboration and agility: technology orientation, leadership, HRM practices, external processes and organisational culture. The present findings have important implications for managing the remote workforce.

Originality/value

The five factors were mapped to propose a conceptual model on engaging individual employees, fostering team collaboration and building organisational agility while working remotely. We also propose an application model for using technology to achieve the outcomes of engagement, collaboration and agility in the organisation. Practitioners could use this framework to focus on the factors that can create a conducive environment to improve work efficiency in a remote workforce.

Identifying the development stages of virtual teams – An application of social network analysis

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore some quantitative indicators from the social network analysis, observe the variations of these indicators over time and determine whether these indicators fit into the traditional team development stages model or theory. The primary focus is on the perspective of social interaction rather than the suitability of the indicator, i.e. the authors will not determine the optimal indicators nor compare the performance of different indicators. This study aims to propose a quantitative method to identify the development stages of virtual teams.

Design/methodology/approach

Two phases were designed in this study. The first phase was a simple study to prove the preliminary ideas and explore which quantitative indicators would be suitable for analysis. In total, 16 undergraduates were randomly assigned to two virtual teams. They were required to complete an information system (IS) project through virtual teamwork and use information and communications technologies (ICTs) to communicate with each other. After proving the preliminary ideas, the authors collected communication data of the 30 virtual teams working on IS projects in the second phase. The total duration of this process was two months.

Findings

The findings practically identified three stages, which were found to be consistent with that of the previous qualitative studies. In the initial (inclusion) stage, intensity had an upward trend. In the second (control) stage, centralization had an upward trend. In the final (affection) stage, intensity and density had upward trends and centralization had a downward trend. Both density and centralization also became smooth in this final stage. The conclusion can serve as a basis for further studies in virtual team development.

Originality/value

A successful virtual team will help industries to reduce their costs and increase performance and benefits. The findings will help industries quickly and objectively identify which stage they are at. This quantified approach will provide managers and leaders with a simple, useful way to highlight the needs for managing different aspects of team behavior at each stage of development. After establishing this approach, managers and leaders will be able to make plans to improve existing processes, set priorities, provide suitable principles and guidelines, etc., and eventually improve virtual team performance.

Subgroup Formation in Diverse Virtual Teams: The Moderating Role of Identity Leadership

Background: As today's organizations are becoming increasingly globalized and adding the impetus to a more remote form of working due to the present COVID-19 pandemic, new ways of collaboration-like virtual teams-have gained importance. In the present study, we aim to investigate how virtual team outcomes are linked to perceived diversity and subgroup formation and attempt to gain some initial insight into the role of the social identity approach to leadership in virtual teams. Method: In the present cross-sectional study, a total of 102 virtual team members participated in an online survey measuring perceived diversity, identity leadership, subgroup formation, perceived performance, and team satisfaction, to examine the factors moderating the relationship between perceived diversity and subgroup formation as well as between perceived diversity and team performance and satisfaction. Results: Moderation analysis revealed that perceived diversity had a negative influence on performance ratings when subgroups were highly perceived to be present, but not if subgroup formation was rated as low. The relationship between perceived diversity and team satisfaction was not moderated by perceived subgroup formation. Furthermore, identity leadership was found to be positively related to team satisfaction and perceived performance, while subjective diversity was negatively associated with both team outcomes. Identity leadership moderated the relationship between perceived diversity and subgroup formation, in that high levels of identity leadership weakened the positive relationship. Conclusion: This study provides first evidence to the importance of the team leader's role as a manager of a shared social identity in virtual teams where perceived differences can lead to subgroup splits, as identity leaders may hinder the emergence of subgroups in virtual teams.

Towards remote leadership in health care: Lessons learned from an integrative review

AIM

To gather and synthesize current empirical evidence on remote leadership and to provide knowledge that can be used to develop successful remote leadership in health care.

DESIGN

A integrative literature review with an integrated mixed methods design.

DATA SOURCES

The literature search was carried out between February and March 2019 in the CINAHL, Medline (Ovid), PsycInfo, Scopus, SocIndex, Web of Science and Business Source Elite (EBSCO) databases.

REVIEW METHODS

An integrative review was conducted to identify relevant studies published from 2010 to 2019. Of the 88 eligible studies, 21 studies met the inclusion criteria and were selected for the final review. The included studies were analysed using mixed methods synthesis, more specifically, data-based convergent synthesis.

RESULTS

The performed analysis identified three main themes: characteristics of successful remote leadership; enhancing the leader-member relationship; and challenges in remote leadership. The first theme included the following sub-themes: remote leader characteristics; trust; communication; and leading the team culture. The second theme covered the importance of organizing regular face-to-face meetings, clear communication policies and the connection between positive team spirit and good remote leader-member relationship, while the third theme emphasized leader- and member-related challenges for remote work.

CONCLUSIONS

As none of the identified studies had been conducted in a health care setting, future remote leadership research must also specifically consider the health care context. This will be pivotal to exploring how remote work can foster a safe workplace culture, empower health care workers, increase job satisfaction and improve patient outcomes.

IMPACT

Remote leadership has rarely been studied in the health care context. Trust, communication, team spirit and a leader's characteristics are central to remote leadership, a finding which is useful for re-evaluating and improving the current culture at health care organizations.

A Unique Model for Developing Continuing Education Resources for Health Professionals in Geographically Dispersed Health Organizations

The provision of high quality, equitable, and accessible education resources is a key to supporting continuing professional development (CPD) in health organizations. The Health Education and Training Institute (HETI) and its operational model for districts (District HETI Operational Model), is a novel approach that supports this imperative for over 155,000 staff working across the state of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The model uses three principles in education and training development. These include collaborative partnerships, rapid resource development, and effective leadership within virtual teams. A state-wide learning management system has been implemented to support this initiative. Over 451 standardized, education, and training online modules have been developed for medical, nursing and midwifery, dental, allied health, and nonclinical NSW Health employees since 2013. These educational resources are accessible 24 hours a day. Cost-effective online programs have enabled more than 13.6 million learner completions. Program evaluations highlight the value of these resources in providing a positive learning experience. Furthermore, the District HETI Operational Model has been recognized by multiple national and international excellence awards in learning and development. The principles of the District HETI Operational Model apply to other health organizations that may choose to adopt a similar model. Such a model may support equity of access to contemporary, standardized, evidence-based education resources for health professionals working across geographically and clinically diverse environments. Implementation of a similar model for future CPD interventions warrants consideration by practitioners, researchers, and policymakers.

Leadership competencies for the 21st century: a review from the Western world literature

Purpose

The proliferation of studies on leadership competencies have not yet provided a consistent set to guide the work of researchers and practitioners. This paper aims to generate a clear, literature-based overview of the relevant leadership competencies for the twenty-first century.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is an integrative literature review and identifies four strands of literature on leadership, reaching back to traditional works. It reviews each strand to establish which leadership competencies remain relevant for the twenty-first century.

Findings

This paper shows it is essential to clarify and harmonize terminology used in leadership literature. It identifies 18 groups of leadership competencies required for the twenty-first century. The research reveals that leaders of the twenty-first century must be able to combine a strong concern for people, customer experience, digitalization, financialization and the general good.

Research limitations/implications

This paper is based on a non-exhaustive list of literature derived from studies published in Western journals, written in English. Future research should include papers beyond the confines of Western academia and entail fieldwork to test the comprehensive framework derived here.

Practical implications

This paper will help practitioners develop leadership training curricula and transform the leadership culture in their organizations. The competency list can be useful in recruitment and selection processes for leadership positions. Professionals will find it helpful as an index in self-diagnosis and personal development for their career decision choices.

Originality/value

The paper addresses the growing need for clarity on the required leadership competencies for the twenty-first century.

Risk Factors and Leadership in a Digitalized Working World and Their Effects on Employees' Stress and Resources: Web-Based Questionnaire Study

Background

In today’s world of work, the digitalization of work and communication processes is increasing, and will increase even further. This increase in digitalization at the workplace brings many new aspects of working life to light, such as working in virtual teams, mobile working, expectations of being constantly available, and the need for support in adapting and learning new digital tools. These changes to the workplace can contain risks that might harm the well-being of employees. Leaders can support the well-being of their employees in terms of protecting and replenishing their work-related resources to cope with critical work demands. This so-called health-promoting leadership could serve as a buffer between risk at the workplace and critical outcomes, such as stress, by amplifying work-related resources.

Objective

This study’s aims were twofold. First, we wanted to investigate if risk factors related to higher digitalization at the workplace can be identified and if these risk factors have an impairing effect on the well-being of employees (eg, higher stress and lower resources). Second, we wanted to investigate if the health-impairing effects of these risk factors can be reduced by health-promoting leadership.

Methods

A total of 1412 employees from Austria, Germany, and Switzerland took part in this online study and provided information on their perceived risks at the workplace, their leaders’ health-promoting behaviors, and their work-related stress and resources.

Results

The results of a hierarchical regression analysis showed that all four risk factors of digital work (distributed team work, mobile work, constant availability, and inefficient technical support) were related to higher stress at the workplace. In addition, distributed team work and inefficient technical support were associated with lower work-related resources. A possible buffer effect of health-promoting leadership between these risks and employee well-being was visible for inefficient technical support. In particular, in the case of having fewer support opportunities in learning and using digital tools, leaders could weaken the potential critical effects on stress. As for the other risk factors, leaders might engage in a different leadership behavior to improve their employees’ well-being, as the physical distance between leaders and employees in virtual team work or mobile work could make health-promoting leadership more difficult.

Conclusions

In a digitalized working world, solutions are needed to create working conditions that benefit employees. The results of this study strongly support the importance of investigating risk factors associated with an increase in digitalization at the workplace in addition to traditional risk factors. As for leadership, leaders need to show leadership behavior adapted to a digitalized workplace in order to reduce employee stress and increase work-related resources.

Virtuality and teams: Dealing with crises and catastrophes

BACKGROUND: This article bridges the gap between theory and practice and elaborates, for practitioners, how to convert the COVID-19 and other similar crises into opportunities for keeping their business on track for growth. It shows how movement to virtual modes of working, especially virtual teams, can help practitioners meet the current crisis effectively and also prepare for future crisis efficiently. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this article is to show how the concept of virtuality can help design practices which enable managers/practitioners in effectively managing necessary transitions to virtual work. METHODS: The article reviews and integrates essential literature on virtuality and virtual teams. It enumerates the benefits and challenges which accompany a sudden and necessary movement to virtual work in teams. Also used are the recently developed theoretical frameworks of teams as essential emergent states and its implications on virtual work. RESULTS: By distilling insights from past literature, the article advises managers on how to deal with the present and prepare for future disruptions. Usage of overarching frameworks rather than industry/work specific literature enables managers to move away from specific recommendations and focus on general characteristics for wider impact. CONCLUSIONS: The article demonstrates how organizations can meet disruptive challenges successfully and also prepare for future challenges sustainably using virtuality as a starting point.

A call to action for virtual team leaders: practitioner perspectives on trust, conflict and the need for organizational support

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the leadership behaviors of managers of virtual teams (VTs), particularly in the areas of trust building and conflict management. This study aims to expand the research of VT performance by offering first-person accounts from VT leaders on the strategies implemented to drive VT performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a grounded theory approach to examine the leadership behaviors through in-depth interviews with eight field managers of VTs employed by different technology companies. Interview questions focused on trust-building and conflict management techniques. This structured qualitative study incorporates elements of narrative inquiry interwoven in the findings.

Findings

Building a high-trust environment was found to be critical to VT performance. VT managers indicated that effective conflict resolution skills were also important.

Research limitations/implications

Although the sample size is within the suggested range for a valid phenomenological study, the results may lack generalizability. Participants were limited to the technology industry; leaders of high-performing VTs in other industries could offer differing results.

Practical implications

This study’s contribution is the exploration and identification of innovative techniques that VT managers implemented to build trust and resolve conflict. A lack of holistic training programs for the VT leader is also considered along with suggestions for future research and implications for the VT managers.

Originality/value

This study’s contribution is the exploration and identification of innovative techniques that VT managers implemented that drive VT performance, particularly related to building high levels of trust and managing conflict effectively. Practices are suggested whereby both the VT leader and the organization take an active role in ensuring that the VT has the opportunity to perform optimally.

[Social isolation among teleworkers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic]

Background

During the peak times of the COVID-19 pandemic, which were characterized by contact restrictions, many companies initiated telework for their employees due to infection prevention.

Objective

In this literature review working from home and therefore digital cooperation in a virtual team was investigated, focusing on the organization of occupational health promotion aspects in the context of prevention of social isolation.

Results

The current occupational health psychology research identified appropriate and enriched information and communication media accompanied by sufficient and understandable technical support as basic prerequisites for the collaboration of location-independent teams. Also, a continuous socially supporting communication within the team and with the supervisor as well as health-promoting leadership have a positive impact on the employees' mental health. Additionally, individual (digital) health promotion interventions and flexible working hours are recommended.

Conclusion

These multifactorial approaches to measures derived from the literature are suggested for companies with employees working predominantly from home to reduce work-related adverse health effects from the crisis, especially with respect to social isolation and to promote their employees' health.

THE E-LEADERSHIP LINKING INTER-ORGANISATIONAL COLLABORATION AND AMBIDEXTROUS INNOVATION

This research investigates the effect of inter organisational collaboration on ambidextrous innovation, in Tunisian virtual companies, and the moderating role of e-leadership. To achieve the purpose, a quantitative study was conducted on 217 virtual team members. The data analysis was conducted via the structural equation modelling method. The empirical study revealed that customer, competitor and supplier coordination have a significant impact on exploitation innovation. The results also confirm that customer coordination has an effect on exploration innovation. By the way, the coordination effect with competitors and suppliers on exploration innovation is not significant. The e-leadership moderation is confirmed on verified links. The research path revealed a scarcity of research done on the relations between the variables study. The mediating effects of the e-leadership on the dependent and independent variables have never been explored earlier. The study makes an original contribution to the field of knowledge for practitioners and academicians.

Health-Oriented Self- and Employee Leadership in Virtual Teams: A Qualitative Study with Virtual Leaders

Virtual teamwork as a new way of working is becoming increasingly prevalent in a growingly globalized and digitalized working environment. Due to the associated raise in health-related stress factors at the workplace and the central role of leaders in workplace health promotion, the aim of this study is to obtain initial findings on the use of health-oriented self- and employee leadership in virtual teams from the perspective of virtual leaders. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 13 virtual leaders by using the problem-centered interview method. The collected data were deductively and inductively evaluated and interpreted using the qualitative content analysis according to Mayring. The results show that virtual leaders ascribed great value of health and showed great awareness in health-oriented self- and employee leadership. Physical activity and boundary management were particularly mentioned as health-oriented self-leadership behaviors. The majority of leaders described communication, building trust, support in boundary management and implementation of personal meetings as health-oriented employee leadership behaviors. In addition to social, technical, and personal factors, primarily organizational factors were mentioned as factors of influence in this context. For a more comprehensive understanding of health-oriented leadership, the inclusion of virtual team members in further research studies is necessary.

Functional and Visionary Leadership in Self-Managing Virtual Teams

In this conceptual article, we present a theory of leadership in self-managing virtual teams. We describe leadership in this setting as a process that results in the creation, reinforcement, and evolution of shared mental models and shared norms that influence team member behavior toward the successful accomplishment of shared goals. We distinguish two types of leadership. We identify leadership that works within and reinforces existing models and norms to influence team contributions as “functional” leadership. We identify leadership that results in changes in models and norms as “visionary” leadership. We propose that successful self-managing virtual teams require both types of leadership and that they will exhibit a paradoxical combination of shared, distributed functional leadership complemented by strong, concentrated, and centralized visionary leadership and that visionary leadership is enabled by functional leadership in the form of substantive team member contributions.

Factors Affecting Knowledge Sharing in Virtual Teams

The development and use of information and communications technology (ICT) are growing at a rapid speed across the world. ICT has been the cause for new types of work arrangements, such as virtual organizations, virtual teams, teleworking, etc. Virtual teams provide organizations with competitive advantage by enabling them to hire talented people across the world and eliminating the need for physical availability in the office. However, one major issue hindering the productivity of the virtual team is knowledge sharing. The lack of proper knowledge sharing between team members may cause organizations to fail with regards to the implementation of successful strategies. The research into understanding knowledge sharing in virtual teams (VT) in the Middle East is lacking. While such studies have been done in the United States and Europe, the Middle East has been overlooked. In this study, the authors assume that there are some specific behavioral aspects of VT in the Middle East that create the need for specific scientific solutions. Accordingly, this study was conducted in the Middle East in order to gain scientific knowledge on the region’s specificity. The objective of this article is to create a model for the evaluation of the effect on knowledge sharing in virtual teams in the Middle East. For analysis, the selection of companies includes United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based companies in the IT industry whose businesses engage in VT. The results show that the following factors have a direct effect on knowledge sharing in VT: Culture, motivation, conflict, ICT, trust, and leadership. Conversely, the results do not demonstrate that language has any impact on knowledge sharing. The methodology used is as follows: Literature review, survey methods, and structural equation modeling.

Leadership matters in crisis-induced digital transformation: how to lead service employees effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic has, besides the health concerns, caused an unprecedented social and economic crisis that has particularly hit service industries hard. Due to extensive safety measures, many service employees have to work remotely to keep service businesses running. With limited literature on leadership and virtual work in the service context, this paper aims to report on leadership effectiveness regarding employees' work performance in virtual settings brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the input–process–outcome (IPO) framework, this research investigates the effectiveness of leadership on service employees' work performance mediated by work-related tension, autonomy, and group cohesiveness. Furthermore, this study explores moderating effects of the service provider's digital maturity. To test the derived model, the authors collected survey data from 206 service employees who, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, unexpectedly had to transform to a virtual work environment. The authors analyzed the data using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

Findings

The results indicated that it took task- and relation-oriented leadership behavior to maintain service employees' work performance in a virtual environment during crisis situations. Further, results indicated mediating effects of service employees' individual job autonomy and team cohesiveness; surprisingly, work-related tension did not impact employees' work performance. Results offered service businesses guidance on how to effectively lead in times of crisis when service employees predominantly work in virtual environments.

Originality/value

This is the first empirical study to show how leadership affects service employees' work performance in a virtual work environment during crisis times. Thus, the study contributes to the scarce literature on the impact of leadership in service firms that have to operate in such a setting.

Emotional intelligence and transformational leadership in virtual teams: lessons from MMOGs

Purpose

As business is becoming more global, virtual teams are getting increasingly prevalent. The purpose of this paper is to examine virtual team effectiveness by taking a deeper look at the Virtual World Teams (VWTs) of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper investigates the effects of leaders’ emotional intelligence and transformational leadership on virtual team effectiveness, including three sub-factors of team effectiveness: team performance, viability and team member satisfaction. In addition, the indirect effect of emotional intelligence on team effectiveness via transformational leadership was examined. In total, 500 MMOG players that belonged in virtual world teams participated in the study. Hypotheses were tested through a series of multiple linear regression analyses, and one-way ANOVA tests were used to explore the impact of gender on the key factors of team effectiveness.

Findings

The analysis revealed a significant predictive relationship between perceived leader emotional intelligence and virtual team effectiveness sub-factors, mediated by transformational leadership behavior. Further analysis revealed gender differences in players’ perceptions of their leader emotional intelligence, transformational leadership and virtual team effectiveness.

Practical implications

This paper adds to the literature by revealing important predictors of virtual team effectiveness. These findings suggest implications for research and practice in the fields of Human Resources (HR), Human Resource Development (HRD) and training programs for e-leaders. The results of the analysis based on gender differences also have theoretical and managerial implications.

Originality/value

The study provides evidence that transformational leadership mediates the relationship between leaders’ emotional intelligence and team effectiveness in a virtual team.

Leadership style effect on virtual team efficiency: trust, operational cohesion and media richness roles

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to explain the effect of leadership styles on a virtual team efficiency, assuming the existence of mediating variables (media richness) influencing this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected within the framework of an online survey based on a sample of 300 observations (MENA region) with respondents from the IT sector. These results were generated by SPSS and AMOS 23 software and treated using an exploratory factor analysis and modeling by structural equation.

Findings

The results of the research attest that trust and operational cohesion play a mediating role between leadership styles and team performance. They also confirm that leadership styles impact operational cohesion and group trust according to different levels of media richness, thus creating different situations fluctuating according to its level.

Research limitations/implications

From a methodological point of view, the sample choice was not diversified. Only the IT companies are concerned with this study. Therefore, the generalization of obtained results can be questioned. The research results could be refined by trying to highlight trust mediating variable through antecedents evoked by Mayer et al. (1995) or Williams (2001), namely, competence, benevolence or even integrity. Competence and benevolence deserve, on the conceptual plan, to be fully integrated to the definition itself of trust under penalty of see the concept itself of trust impoverish considerably (Mayer et al., 1995).

Practical implications

On a practical level, the optimal efficiency of a virtual team depends on a high level of media richness with a transformational leadership mobilized by the managers that would favor a good operational cohesion of the group. Various techniques could be employed to improve a social dynamic of the group (periodic conference calls, face to face meetings, team building).

Originality/value

This research clarifies how leadership styles influence virtual team efficiency through operational cohesion and trust. Furthermore, this research reaffirms, in addition from previous works, that the communication means to which virtual teams recur influence the degree of operating cohesion and increase that of performance.