Virtual Leadership
The literature on leadership in virtual communication settings is relatively young (Purvanova & Bono, 2009), and e-leadership is a new phenomenon of leadership (Savolainen, 2013).
Extant research suggests that not enough is known about the ways in which technology impacts leadership (Purvanova & Bono, 2009), and there is a certain lack of evidence on how technological communication context affects leadership behaviours and, subsequently, the success of virtual teams. It is important to explore leadership in a virtual setting, as leaders in such environments conduct many leadership processes through electronic channels (Zaccaro & Bader, 2003).
E-leadership is broadly considered a response and subsequent solution to a change in the global economy as a result of technological development. Thereafter, leaders who choose the electronic media as their primary mode of communication are heavily reliant on Information Technology (Avolio & Kahai, 2003).
To take a critical stance to the distinctiveness of virtual teams, it is claimed that e-leadership based on the same competences as traditional leadership (Savolainen, 2013), and that the goals of leadership have not changed, whereas it is the medium for implementing the goals that is different (Trivedi & Desai, 2012).
The basic principles of E-leadership, as outlined by the aforementioned paper (Kozlowski et al. 2021), can be classified as the following.
Technological Fluency
Decide which tech is to be used; adjust and mandate; ensure all team members have minimum expertise at chosen tech application.
Trust
Establish a climate for trust, reinforce it, organize training programs, face-to-face interactions, show personal commitment to the virtual team.
Ground Rules
Communicate united vision and goals, model appropriate behaviour, set ground rules for interactions and executions, revise as necessary.
Knowledge Base
Clarify roles and responsibilities, ensure a common language of communication, enable easy access.
Leading for the Long Haul
Continued and consistent digitization, as we know it, is the future of leadership. Relevant especially in today’s modicum of work-life balance and feasible office environments, leading for the long haul is an aspect that modern leaders incorporate into their leadership strategies.
Some examples of key leaders actions in the context of long-term development are as follows:
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Maintaining trust and team cohesion - Interact personally, provide opportunities for casual meetings and social events.
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Socializing new members - Integrate new members into the team by coaching them on team’s history, norms, expectations; help maximize interaction with rest of the team for a quicker adjustment.
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Balancing VT work with life and face-to-face work - There should be a proper balance between online and offline work, model behaviour to establish work/life balance, work with other leaders to minimize competing work demands.
Virtual Leadership Challenges
The world of modern leadership practices, as we understand it, is often fraught with challenges. Leaders are required and expected to be able to overcome said challenges, in a manner befitting of their role.
These challenges can be broken down into four primary sections, each of which are deemed imperative for a leader to effectuate the execution of their role and especially relevant in a virtual setting.