HOW TO MANAGE SELF-LEADERSHIP IN REMOTE ENVIRONMENTS : A qualitative study made on Swedish medium and large-sized organizations

Abstract: Covid-19 affected the world's population when the pandemic became a global problem at the start of 2020. The effects of the pandemic placed demands on various countries and their inhabitants. But also on organizations in sundries sectors. Globally, and specifically on the Swedish labor market, the effects of covid-19 have contributed to increased use of technology to enable continued work, elsewhere than physically on site. This has created opportunities but also challenges for managers to motivate subordinates and get them to work towards the organization's set goals. Self-leadership is thus a concept that is important to understand and handle in the current situation, as it can lead to increased motivation and performance of individuals. Previously published research points out how leaders can work to promote self-leadership. e.g. by adapting individuals' characteristics and commitment to the nature of the task. How self-leadership is promoted in the Swedish labor market, under digital conditions in remote work, is however still unclear. We know, from previously published research, that self-leadership, clear goals, motivation, and self-efficacy all have an influence on each other. They further serve as a prerequisite for organizational performance and goal fulfillment. But there is no answer as to how this can be promoted under current digital conditions. Swedish companies are moreover at the forefront when it comes to innovation development and the shift to digital resources, as a result of the pandemic. But there is no explanation for the connection between self-leadership and its new challenges with digital work, nor on the Swedish labor market. The intention of this study is therefore to fill the research gap with a qualitative and empirical study on Swedish medium and large-sized companies, where the effects of covid-19 proved to be extensive. The goal is moreover to answer the question and explain how Swedish medium-sized and large organizations manage self-leadership under presented conditions. This issue includes both leaders and employees, and the study groups have thus both been included in the study to create a holistic understanding of how self-leadership is handled in the above-mentioned contexts. The results, based on five employees, and four leaders in various sectors and organizations,  show that enabling recurring opportunities for social interactions, support and to convey a transparent culture with clear goals is necessary to manage self-leadership in remote environments. Having a thorough opportunity for support in the organization and creating opportunities for social interactions is something that this study has significantly contributed to the research. This is because these phenomena have not previously been presented of any particular importance, nor have they been promoted as necessary for the management of self-leadership in a remote context. In this study, however, it has been shown to be extremely necessary, from the point of view of both managers and employees. This, to enable self-leadership, increase motivation and self-efficacy in the Swedish labor market, which positively can affect individual- and organizational performance and goal fulfillment.