ABSTRACT
Da Danmark lukkede ned i midten af marts 2020, skulle mange arbejdspladser på kort tid omstrukturere deres ledelse og samarbejde. Særligt distanceledelse var for mange ledere og medarbejdere en ny udfordring – og selv på arbejdspladser, hvor man fra tid til anden allerede havde arbejdet med virtuel ledelse og samarbejde, var det nyt at have virtuelle medier som det eneste ledelsesredskab. Når en altomfavnende krise manifesterer sig, bliver kvaliteter såvel som mangler i ledelse særligt tydelige. Corona-krisen har således været en prisme, hvorigennem vi kan betragte ledelse og arbejde i et nyt lys, og dermed også et værktøj, som kan bruges til at revurdere ledelse såvel som vores forståelse af arbejdets natur. Helt overordnet stiller vores erfaringer fra ledelse og arbejdsliv under corona spørgsmålstegn ved den traditionelle organisering af arbejdet, som stadig mange steder er bundet op på fysisk tilstedeværelse på arbejdspladsen. Spørgsmålet er, hvilke nye arbejdslivsbalancer, coronaen har åbnet muligheder for – og om der er faldgruber i de nye muligheder.Alternate abstract:When Denmark shut down in mid-March 2020, many workplaces had to restructure their management and collaboration in a short time. Distance management in particular was for many managers and employees a new challenge – and even in workplaces where from time to time you had already worked with virtual management and collaboration, it was new to have virtual media as the only management tool. When an all-embracing crisis manifests, qualities as well as deficiencies in leadership become particularly evident. The Corona crisis has thus been a prism through which we can view management and work in a new light, and thus also a tool that can be used to reassess management as well as our understanding of the nature of work. Overall, our experiences from management and working life during corona call into question the traditional organization of work, which in many places is still tied to physical presence at the workplace. The question is which new work-life balances the corona has opened up opportunities for - and whether there are pitfalls in the new opportunities.
ABSTRACT
We show the relevance of extant international business (IB) research, and more specifically work on international human resources management (IHRM), to address COVID-19 pandemic challenges. Decision-makers in multinational enterprises have undertaken various types of actions to alleviate the impacts of the pandemic. In most cases these actions relate in some way to managing distance and to rethinking boundaries, whether at the macro- or firm-levels. Managing distance and rethinking boundaries have been the primary focus of much IB research since the IB field was established as a legitimate area of academic inquiry. The pandemic has led to increased cross-border distance problems (e.g., as the result of travel bans and reduced international mobility), and often also to new intra-firm distancing challenges imposed upon previously co-located employees. Prior IHRM research has highlighted the difficulties presented by distance, in terms of employee selection, training, support, health and safety, as well as leadership and virtual collaboration. Much of this thinking is applicable to solve pandemic-related distance challenges. The present, extreme cases of requisite physical distancing need not imply equivalent increases in psychological distance, and also offer firms some insight into the unanticipated benefits of a virtual workforce - a type of workforce that, quite possibly, will influence the 'new normal' of the post-COVID world. Extant IHRM research does offer actionable insight for today, but outstanding knowledge gaps remain. Looking ahead, we offer three domains for future IHRM research: managing under uncertainty, facilitating international and even global work, and redefining organizational performance.