ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the world of work causing a significant shift from working in the office to working from home. Studies have shown that many employees do not want to return to the office on a full-time basis and that they expect that their work environments will include teleworking going forward. However, many leaders have had challenges managing remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, and numerous organizations have been unclear and inconsistent about what work arrangements will look like in the future. Although several leadership studies since the COVID-19 pandemic have focused on leading during a crisis, empirical studies on the behaviors and mindsets needed to navigate the future of work is sparse. This research applied the Complexity Leadership Theory lens to the study of leadership behaviors and mindsets during this period of ambiguity and complexity which the COVID-19 pandemic introduced into the workplace. This exploratory study used a phenomenological approach to gain the perspectives of 20 senior HR leaders who are dealing with the ambiguity and complexity of novel human resource challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Four major findings resulted from this study. First, many factors shifted the balance of power from the employer to the employee to decide workforce including changing workforce expectations, the volatility and duration of the pandemic, as well as employee productivity while working from home. Second, senior HR leaders found establishing guidelines, and purposeful communications effective in helping them adapt to the future workplace. Third, the study found that mindsets play a key role in shaping decisions as senior HR leaders navigated the future workplace. Finally, senior HR leaders used enabling leadership competencies to influence stakeholders to navigate the novel situation of the future workplace ushered in by the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings have implications for practice as they provide useful insights and strategies to senior HR leaders who are responsible for establishing work arrangements for their organizations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the world of work causing a significant shift from working in the office to working from home. Studies have shown that many employees do not want to return to the office on a full-time basis and that they expect that their work environments will include teleworking going forward. However, many leaders have had challenges managing remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, and numerous organizations have been unclear and inconsistent about what work arrangements will look like in the future. Although several leadership studies since the COVID-19 pandemic have focused on leading during a crisis, empirical studies on the behaviors and mindsets needed to navigate the future of work is sparse. This research applied the Complexity Leadership Theory lens to the study of leadership behaviors and mindsets during this period of ambiguity and complexity which the COVID-19 pandemic introduced into the workplace. This exploratory study used a phenomenological approach to gain the perspectives of 20 senior HR leaders who are dealing with the ambiguity and complexity of novel human resource challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Four major findings resulted from this study. First, many factors shifted the balance of power from the employer to the employee to decide workforce including changing workforce expectations, the volatility and duration of the pandemic, as well as employee productivity while working from home. Second, senior HR leaders found establishing guidelines, and purposeful communications effective in helping them adapt to the future workplace. Third, the study found that mindsets play a key role in shaping decisions as senior HR leaders navigated the future workplace. Finally, senior HR leaders used enabling leadership competencies to influence stakeholders to navigate the novel situation of the future workplace ushered in by the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings have implications for practice as they provide useful insights and strategies to senior HR leaders who are responsible for establishing work arrangements for their organizations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)