Remote Control - Redefining Leadership in the Age of Hybrid Work
Abstract
The pandemic, rather than strategy, has led to organizations’ most apparent digital transformation in the
last years due to unprecedented changes in the business environment and society (De Smet et al., 2021;
McKinsey, 2020). This post-pandemic shift to hybrid work has required adjustments from companies,
managers, and employees to adapt to a new normal where the workplace, in many cases, is digital
(Larson & Dechurch, 2020). However, there are still challenges in adapting to this new way of
working, such as inequality and disparities in the teams and challenges with leadership, team cohesion
and communication. (Larson & Dechurch, 2020; McKinsey, 2020; McKinsey, 2022) Leadership is one
of the keys to organizational success and is emphasized as one of the most critical aspects of successful
remote work (Offstein et al., 2010; Gross, 2018). Previous research about leadership styles has defined
transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles to have different influences in on-site
work settings (Bass & Avolio, 1994). However, there is a current gap in the literature on leadership
styles and their influence on successful hybrid teams (DeRosa et al., 2004; Bell & Kozlowski, 2002;
Hoch & Kozlowski, 2014). Therefore, this master’s thesis has studied leadership styles in hybrid
settings and built a theoretical framework for understanding key leadership styles for managing hybrid
teams in different contexts. Eight semi-structured interviews with hybrid team leaders were conducted
to examine the challenges and opportunities of hybrid work and the connections between leadership
styles and perceived hybrid work success.
The findings of the study suggest that although most employees like the flexibility and potential of
working in hybrid settings, it is crucial for leaders and organizations to be supportive and adaptable to
the individual needs of the employees to combat any challenges and to utilize opportunities fully. A
mix of the transformational, transactional, and Laissez-faire leadership styles appeared to be the
optimum, with the transformational skills emphasized as the most important for successfully leading a
hybrid team. The study concluded the importance of leaders acknowledging the opportunities and
challenges of leading hybrid teams in their particular context and having an adaptable and flexible
approach to modify and develop their leadership styles to lead hybrid teams successfully. Lastly, the
study found a neglected perspective of leaders in the hybrid work setting, where although the general
view of hybrid work was positive, some respondents experienced hybrid work as more
time-consuming, pressuring, and challenging than on-site work in their role as hybrid leaders.
Degree
Master 2-years
Collections
View/ Open
Date
2023-07-20Author
Sjögren Nyberg, Clara
Keywords
Hybrid work
Hybrid teams
Leadership
Hybrid leadership
Remote leadership
Transformational leadership
Series/Report no.
Master Degree Project 2023:67
Language
eng
Metadata
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