Remote team leadership is situational and complex: German insights into shared leadership behavior impacts on remote employee productivity and satisfaction

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

Design/methodology/approach

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Findings

This research paper examines shared leadership’s complexity in remote teams, and isolates which leadership behaviors can be shared and which cannot, based on the impacts on individual team members. Interestingly, respondents found shared leadership unpalatable for relations-oriented leadership tasks like giving praise and feedback. They didn’t want to receive this kind of communication from their other team members in the absence of a recognized leader figure. Yet for task-oriented leadership tasks, shared leadership does work in remote teams. And it can be encouraged to give fast-moving employees autonomy at work by sharing these leadership responsibilities across a group of people.

Originality/value

The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Citation

(2023), "Remote team leadership is situational and complex: German insights into shared leadership behavior impacts on remote employee productivity and satisfaction", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 31 No. 4, pp. 14-16. https://doi.org/10.1108/HRMID-03-2023-0060