Leadership Competencies
Altogether, the interviews conducted among the participants revealed critical information linked to the four outlined themes. Thus, the main challenge of using virtual space regarding leadership competencies is leading through mediated technologies. For this reason, for team leaders, it is vital to possess specific skills to be successful. The study shows that groups benefit from leaders who have operational coordinating and conflict resolution abilities as it helps to align cooperation between individuals. Moreover, activity, social, and process awareness promote the understanding of each member’s role and enable leaders to manage activities. At the same time, successful leaders should be ready to adapt to the fast-changing environment to introduce appropriate alterations. Furthermore, the results show that the leader’s ability to turn teams into a cohesive and integrative units is also vital. Finally, because of the diversity of contexts, cross-cultural skills, and inspirational capabilities should also be viewed as critical leadership competencies necessary for leading virtual teams and reaching their optimal performance.
Autonomy and Freedom
Analyzing results lined to the autonomy and freedom field, it is vital to admit that participants outlined the leaders’ attempts to control virtual teams and the lack of trust in employees working remotely. It might be demotivating and reduce performance and individuals’ contribution. For this reason, for leaders, it is critical to alter their pre-existing beliefs to adapt to new conditions. First of all, they should adopt a participative leadership style allowing team members to be creative and initiative. Second, they should avoid authoritarian approaches and embrace autonomy as one of the aspects associated with virtual teams. It also means providing directions, not trying to suppress employees, and avoiding micromanaging. Finally, it is critical to offer high levels of flexibility for all team members to increase their engagement, motivate them, and improve motivation.
Communication
Switching to a virtual way of collaboration also cultivated severe challenges in the communication sphere. Study results show that 70% of all leaders find it difficult to interact with team members using communication technologies. It might reduce the effectiveness of instruction, delegation, and task distribution. Moreover, communication is viewed as a fundamental leadership competency, allowing team leaders to organize the work, coordinate team efforts, and build high-performance virtual teams. For this reason, it is critical to focus on additional training assisting leaders in mastering technologies and motivating team members by using their own examples. Effective task-oriented communication is also viewed as a factor in improving the effectiveness of teams and helping their members to share their visions. Altogether, the results show that leaders should improve their technology skills to understand what approaches can be used to complete the existing team’s tasks effectively.
Trust and Psychological Safety
Finally, trust and psychological safety are also viewed as critical components of virtual teams. These factors are vital for motivating individuals and helping them to adapt to new conditions. The study results show that trust is especially important in newly firmed virtual teams that have been formed after the pandemic. It can help to release tension and adapt to new conditions faster. For this reason, building trust is the major leader’s responsibility. It can be cultivated by promoting the understanding that members can rely on each other. They should also know what others do to avoid unreasonable fears or destructive rivalry. Psychological safety is also linked to trust, as it comes from the feeling of being supported. It enables members to contribute to the team’s development freely and take risks needed for its success. In such a way, leaders should listen to the group’s needs to be ready to fulfill them and make individuals feel safe.
Altogether, results show that technology facilitates communication. However, it does not help to build relationships that foster psychological safety. Therefore, leaders are charged with the responsibility of ensuring inclusivity in virtual teams. The findings also show that such competencies as participative leadership, task-oriented communication, conflict resolution, and technical skills are fundamental for modern leaders working with virtual teams.