How Work From Home Arrangement Creates New Leaders

When Covid-19 ravaged the world, it forced workplaces and offices to shut down. Workers, whether they like it or not, shifted to remote working. Now that some companies are getting used to this new normal, it also means that:

• Staff experiencing less face time with coworkers,
• No group lunch/activities.
• Physical meetings moved to digital conference platforms such as Zoom and Google Hangouts.

Video conferencing has become the number one choice for workplaces to do business these days, be it weekly Monday morning meetings to sales pitches with potential clients. 

It is so effective that so many companies decided to go remote permanently even when their employees are vaccinated. But what most people don't notice is that video conferencing has also helped colleagues stand out more than ever. 

 

New leaders are emerging in virtual workspaces.

According to a study by Brigham Young University, virtual workspaces are producing new leaders. However, digital leadership is very different from in-person meetings. 

The research, published in the Journal of Business and Psychology, studied "emergent leaders". Emergent leaders are employees without formal authority, yet they are recognised as leaders by their team members through different means of virtual communication. 

The researchers revealed that employees who thrive in face-to-face meetings with skills such as intelligence and extroversion were not necessarily the most effective in digital settings. 

According to them, virtual communication makes for fewer cues available for human interaction, hence creating more moments for miscommunication. As there is a gap between human and digital, team members prefer employees who take a more concrete approach toward achievement instead of the ones with charismatic personalities. 

New leaders are emerging in virtual workspaces.

Virtual vs in-person leaders.

The study's co-author, Cody Reeves, said that in a virtual team, it is more critical to stand out as the one who helps others compared to a face-to-face meeting. He also said that the workers who take the time to pause and help others with tasks are more likely to be seen as leaders. 

Reeves said that the contrast between virtual and in-person leaders was "stark". In the virtual world, successful leaders displayed skills such as:

• Providing feedback, 
• Monitoring timelines, and
• Coordinating teamwork.

For the study, the researchers gave 220 students surveys about their team members' characteristics and behaviours. They also asked the students to identify team leaders. According to their data, researchers created patterns to see how leaders emerge across virtual vs in-person teams. 

Fellow study author Steven Charlier said that actions speak louder in virtual environments. He said that traditional leaders' soft skills might not translate easily in a virtual environment. 

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