Remotely Leading a Changing Workforce

What is remote leadership?

Work environments have changed dramatically in the last 25 years.  Rapidly evolving technologies and the COVID-19 global pandemic affected teams' and organizations' work structures. There are many different labels for leaders of remote teams: e-leadership, virtual leadership, digital leadership, remote leadership, distributed leadership, and more. However, in this article, remote leadership is defined as the skills and competencies required to lead "a flexible work arrangement where employees work in different locations, far from the office" (Meiryani et al., 2022, p. 3). In this work environment, technology is the primary mode of communication between co-workers, teams, and leaders.

Changes in work environments have created a competitive and dynamic workforce.  Leaders were required to adapt to new communication styles, virtually maintain workflow, and motivate followers from different locations. The massive shifts in the workplace require modern leader competencies for leading remotely (Azukas, 2022; Purvanova & Kenda, 2022; Tigre et al., 2023). Previous research results reported opportunities and challenges while leading team and projects remotely:

Opportunities

• Increased productivity, creativity, and organizational earnings
• Increased work-life enrichment for teams and leaders
• Increased diversity through a global reach for candidates
• Increased team effectiveness and collaboration

Challenges

• Burnout, technology-related stressors, and overwork.
• Increased feelings of isolation that lowers engagement and decreased sense of belonging and trust
• Work-family life balance
• Increased inequity of individuals without access to high-quality technology and internet access

Leadership Competencies Required for Remote Leading

Purvanova & Kenda (2022) conducted a meta-analysis of 175 studies on over 11,000 teams and nearly 10,000 individuals in both organizational and non-organizational teams in various industries. The researchers found that working virtually balances both positive and negative forces on effectiveness outcomes. In 2023, Tigre et al. conducted another meta-analysis of 79 studies over 20 years. The researchers concluded the leadership core is the same in a remote work environment; however, an adaptation of competencies is required to successfully lead remotely (Tigre et al., 2023). The key for leaders is finding the balance between maximizing the benefits of remote and distributed teams while skilfully navigating challenges. Leaders looking to increase their competencies for remote leading can begin by implementing the following:

Invest in yourself.

Leaders are key to the success of remote teams; good remote leadership increases employees' job satisfaction and benefits from remote environments, while poor leadership can exacerbate the challenges in remote work structure (Meiryani et al., 2022). Leading teams remotely requires leaders to have adaptability in their personal skills (Tigre et al., 2023). For example, developing tech-savvy skills and core competencies for remote leadership is an opportunity for leaders to invest in their skills and capacity development through mentorship or taking a training course (Azukas, 2022).

Focus on people.

Communication, trust, and relationship building are key leadership competencies that require adaptation in a remote environment (Azukas, 2022; Purvanova & Kenda, 2022). Trust is more challenging to build virtually than face-to-face (Tigre et al., 2023). Consider emphasizing transparency efforts that aid communication strategies and reinforce trust; allowing for problem-solving and goal-oriented team effectiveness (Tigre et al., 2023). Additionally, structured interactions and communication can help leaders to be attentive to individuals who are suffering from overwork and technology-related stressors (Spagnoli et al., 2021; Wong et al., 2022).

Foster Collaborative Achievement.

Individuals and teams may struggle with ambiguity and complex issues arising from virtual work. Leadership can help by setting clear expectations of what the organization can achieve from virtual teams and communicating that at every stage (Purvanova & Kenda, 2022). Integrating the virtual and technological components of the remote work environment into the onboarding process for new hires sets the standard of remote collaboration for the whole team (Azukas, 2022). Additionally, leaders empower individuals to pursue new initiatives and increase group agility in decision-making and idea innovation by fostering collaborative achievement with remote teams (Tigre et al., 2023).

Orient on the long-term.

One of the important questions of a virtual team is how to meet strategic goals. Remote leaders who are open-minded, adaptive, and innovative excel at steering organizations forward with a competitive advantage (Tigre et al., 2023). Keeping an eye on the future allows leaders to anticipate trends and lead teams in response to emerging issues, opportunities, and new technologies (Azukas, 2022; Tigre et al., 2023).

References

Azukas, M. E. (2022). Leading remotely: Competencies required for virtual leadership. TechTrends, 66(2), 327–337.

Meiryani, Nelviana, Koh, Y., Soepriyanto, G., Aljuaid, M., & Hasan, F. (2022). The effect of transformational leadership and remote working on employee performance during COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 919631.

Purvanova, R. K., & Kenda, R. (2022). The impact of virtuality on team effectiveness in organizational and non-organizational teams: A meta-analysis. Applied Psychology, 71(3), 1082–1131.

Spagnoli, P., Manuti, A., Buono, C., & Ghislieri, C. (2021). The good, the bad and the blend: The strategic role of the "Middle Leadership" in work-family/life dynamics during remote working. Behavioral Sciences, 11(8).

Tigre, F. B., Curado, C., & Henriques, P. L. (2023). Digital leadership: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 30(1), 40–70.

Wong, S. I., Berntzen, M., Warner-Søderholm, G., & Giessner, S. R. (2022). The negative impact of individual perceived isolation in distributed teams and its possible remedies. Human Resource Management Journal, 32(4), 906–927.