As Covid-19 has forced so many of us to work from home, it’s created whole new requirements for leaders to ensure teams remain coherent and functional. New research from Brigham Young University also highlights how informal leaders have emerged during this tumultuous times.
The research explores the employees who lack formal authority, yet are nonetheless recognized as leaders by their colleagues. The study found that in face-to-face environments, we tend to look for characteristics associated with “classical leadership”, such as extroversion and intelligence, but this isn’t the same in more virtual environments.
The researchers posit that the virtual environment might provide more opportunities for miscommunication together with fewer cues for human interaction. This can prompt us to gravitate towards people who are able to take concrete steps towards ensuring our goals are met rather than people with charisma.
“On a virtual team, it’s more important than in a face-to-face meeting to stand out as the one who helps others,” they explain. “Those who take the time to pause and assist others with tasks are more likely to be viewed as leaders.”
Virtual leadership
The perceived differences between leaders in the virtual and physical domains were stark, with virtual leadership predominantly depending on things like providing feedback, monitoring timelines, and coordinating teamwork.
The findings emerged from a study involving around 220 different teams from two Midwestern universities who were tasked with working on projects, with the teams working either mostly virtually, mostly in person, or a combination of the two. The participants completed surveys about themselves, and their team mates, both in terms of their characteristics and behaviors. They were also asked who they regarded as the leader of their team.
This data was combined with transcripts of the interactions between the teams to try and identify patterns in how leaders emerged across both the face-to-face teams and the virtual teams.
The researchers believe their findings are valuable in a world in which teams are increasingly conducting their work via virtual platforms. A better understanding of the kind of leadership traits expected and valued via such media could be valuable in ensuring those teams function effectively.
“In virtual environments, our actions speak loudly,” the researchers explain. “The ‘soft’ skills that traditional managers rely on might not translate easily to a virtual environment.”
If a leader typically relies on their charisma to exude their leadership qualities, they are at particular risk in this new way of working, as the research suggests those qualities may no longer be sufficient. It’s something the researchers hope organizations will address, so that leaders have the skills required to thrive both online and offline.
“These are the skills of the future,” they conclude. “Those companies that have already embraced virtuality are now reaping the benefits — and the rest of us must catch up quickly, or else we will simply be left behind.”
