Leading Virtually or Virtually Leading? A Qualitative Study of How Virtual Leaders Perceive Leadership

Abstract: The pandemic has changed the organizational landscape. Possibilities to work away from the office have increased, specifically through the wide adoption of digital tools for communication and collaboration. Nevertheless, new challenges arise, particularly regarding managing people and teams. Research on the issue has been conducted for decades. However, two limitations were found: the studies have often investigated global virtual teams, and traditional leadership theories have been used with the assumption that interactions are equivalent to face-to-face communication. Through a qualitative study with 12 interviews, the study aimed to understand how leaders in virtual teams perceive their role in managing employees from a distance. The data was analyzed through a theoretical lens based on the Transformational Leadership theory. The study found that leaders perceive the role as more hands-off regarding task-related issues, mainly by seeking to help employees to become more independent and by delegating responsibility to a greater extent. On the other hand, the leader's role as a supporter has become more important because of issues regarding social isolation. The importance of adjusting leadership behavior to each individual was understood as a way to capitalize on the freedom that comes with virtual work and better address individuals who have different needs regarding social interaction. The implications are of theoretical importance since, with the help of subjective accounts, the theoretical framework could be modified to explain the phenomena better. The implications are also of practical relevance with suggestions for how organizations can embrace opportunities of virtual work.