Virtual leadership as a development opportunity in business context

Abstract

In the twenty-first century and under the framework of the fourth industrial revolution, virtual leadership emerged as a new way to direct and lead companies and organizations in the public and private sectors. In this regard, it should be mentioned that this situation is the result of the profound effects and changes of the digital revolution in the business world, which are a consequence of the globalization process and the rise of the so-called Information Technology and Telecommunications (ICT). Therefore, the objective of this narrative literature review is to know what has been written about virtual leadership between 2016 and 2021. As a result, 58 sources of information were reviewed, their level of scientific evidence was evaluated, and opportunities for growth and development in business and commercial activities were identified. In addition, a business management alternative to mitigate the impacts of the new Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic was analyzed. Hence, this paper is highly relevant, as it also considers elements such as personalized communication and digital tools. In conclusion, it was found that virtual work generates benefits, including time savings and quick contact. However, it presents challenges for leaders, such as the challenge of connectivity, motivation, and collaborators’ commitment.

Discovering the antecedents of virtual leadership in universities and higher education institutions of Iran during Covid-19 pandemic: a qualitative study

“…In the early 21st century, with the advent of e-mail, video conferencing (Bizilj et al. , 2021), and as a result of the fourth industrial revolution, many organizations in different sectors approached virtual leadership (Cordova-Buiza et al. , 2022).…”

“…This trend caused the emergence of new work teams at workplace formed under virtual leadership (e-leadership), leading to the beginning of research as new style of leadership at the late 20 century (Cordova-Buiza et al. , 2022).…”

“…Today, organizations attempt to make permanent changes to provide the necessary guidance, capacities and competencies for a leader that enables him to achieve the set goals and objectives and adapt to the virtual communication system (Azukas, 2022). These competencies include transformational, effective communication and technological competencies, managing organizational change effectively, considering cross-cultural barriers and diversity in virtual teams, inspiration and trust, (Chew and Mohamed Zainal, 2022), performance management, building reliable atmosphere (Cordova-Buiza et al. , 2022), facilitating knowledge sharing and resolving conflict (Wei and Ko, 2021) and supportive and informal interactions in order to enhance communication among team members (Schmidt, 2014).…”

“…The future of most organizations is virtual leadership as a result of a new industrial revelation and digitalization intertwined with IT in the future. Dealing with change and uncertainty as the main features of future is the vital role of leaders (Cordova-Buiza et al. , 2022).…”

“…In other words, the role of leadership is no longer limited to direct leader–member exchange, and technology advancement enables leaders to virtually implement their leadership functions (Ibrahim, 2015). In fact, virtual leadership refers to the relationship among collaborators through virtual communication developed in cyberspace (Cordova-buiza et al. , 2022).…”