New leadership & ICT : The impact of technology on leadership practices amongst middle managers

Abstract: Thesis Purpose: The study aimed to explore how the use of ICT has influenced the leadership role and thus also in what ways this has been helping the practice of the role among middle managers.The study was exploratory as an attempt to understand how the leadership role has been influenced in the new digital era. Theoretical Perspective: Previous literature has been examined where different concepts have been chosen in reference to the study. ICT, its connection to leadership and the composition of the managerial role has been presented in this thesis. Methodology: A qualitative method has been used for this case study with the aim to gain an understanding of the studied area. Collected data was analyzed using an abductive approach which involved back-and-forth engagement with theory and empirical findings.  Empirical study: For this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews was made with four middle managers, all positioned at the case company.  Conclusion: The leadership role was found to be both facilitated and made more difficult due to the use of ICT. Communication as a part of the informational roles among leaders has been facilitated the most. The facilitation of the roles was also found to depend on the technological skills among middle managers and the organisational structure.