Virtual-team professionals have reported experiencing low job satisfaction due to lack of face-to-face interaction leading to stress, miscommunication, and role-confusion. Dissatisfaction among virtual teams has increased turnover and management costs for organizations. Despite these known associations, there was a gap in the literature investigating efficient leadership practices to improve job satisfaction for highly skilled virtual teams. Participative leadership offers an effective approach to increase job satisfaction among face-to-face teams and innovative teams. This study explored the relationship between participative leadership and job satisfaction among highly skilled virtual teams within the global software industry. A quantitative study with a correlational design was utilized among 173 participants from the International Association for Software Architects. Participants took a voluntary online survey by responding to an invitation post on the group LinkedIn page. The questionnaire included participative leadership scale (Ismail, Zainuddin, & Ibrahim, 2010), job satisfaction scale (Wall, Cook, & Warr, 1979), and demographic questions. Correlation analysis indicated that there was a positive relationship between participative leadership and job satisfaction, r(172) = .67, p < .001. Regression analysis revealed that job position had a control effect on job satisfaction, F(2, 170) = 89.46, p < .001, R2 = .51. Higher-ranked professionals enjoyed higher job satisfaction when participative leadership was present. Study results are beneficial for global software organizations to streamline leadership practices for highly skilled virtual teams to ensure high levels of job satisfaction. Ensuring high job satisfaction among skilled global talent helps innovative organizations cut costs, increase competitive advantage, and ensure high work quality.

Background:  The increment of global population flows has challenged businesses to harness the potential of a culturally diverse environment. Nonetheless, previous studies on the effect of cultural diversity on teams has been equivocal, specifically when it is related to a firm’s innovation process. Mostly, these said studies have been focusing on cultural diversity as an input and innovation performance as an output. This means, understanding the mechanisms under which cultural diversity affects team performance has yet to be established. There is however a consensus among scholars that cultural diversity can act as a “double-edged sword” as it can be a source of friction and conflict, but also synergy and learning.  Purpose:  The purpose of this study is to explore multicultural team dynamics involved in the new product development process and determine if and how cultural diversity affects the innovation process, particularly, in a global knowledge-intensive firm. Our study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of how cultural differences drive specific team processes, and thereby, offer both practitioners and scholars important insights.  Method:  We made use of a qualitative research approach with an exploratory design and a single holistic case study of a Swedish-based global, knowledge-intensive company. By conducting semi-structured interviews with members of multicultural NPD teams and one HR representative, we gained an understanding of different views and experiences that shape the team dynamics, which ultimately influences the innovation process.  Conclusion:  The results of this study suggest that cultural diversity does not directly impact the innovation process, but rather the effect is influenced by certain contextual factors and materializes through specific team outcomes. These outcomes could positively or negatively impact the innovation process.

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Date: June 1st, 2022  Level: Bachelor/masters thesis, Business Economics, 15 hp  Institution: EST – Economy, Society &amp; Technology, Mälardalens University  Authors: Linnea Jibbefors, 1999-06-17, David Ohrlander, 1997-08-10.  Title: THE BEST IS YET TO COME - A qualitative study of Hybrid Leadership  Supervisor: Magnus Hoppe Keywords: Digital leadership, leadership, teleworking, communication, information- and communication technology, digital communication, global teams, virtual teams, hybrid leadership and hybrid work. Research questions:  ●        How does hybrid leadership apply in practice?  ➢     What are the most apparent possibilities and challenges between workplace leadership and digital leadership?  ➢     How is the leadership affected in regards to clarity, trust, technology and teams, related to hybrid leadership? Purpose: The authors of this study aims to investigate how the phenomenon of hybrid leadership, leadership that occurs both at physical workplaces and digital workplaces, appears in practice. Method: In this study a qualitative research method has been applied where the empirical data has been gathered through semi structured interviews. The theoretical framework was the foundation for the interview questions and a total of 13 interviews were conducted. Thereafter the empirical material was analyzed through the theoretical framework, which led to the answering of the purpose and the research questions. Conclusion: Hybrid leadership has contributed to multiple possibilities and challenges for organizations. The most apparent possibility is for workers to conduct their work both from home and digitally, which contributes to efficiency since the workers can accomplish work rather than traveling. The respondents have stated that this is the future of working. Hybrid leadership consists of four important ground stones: Clarity, Trust, Technology and Team. The hybrid leader must communicate a clear objective, maintain an open and continuous two-way communication, contribute to as high a social presence as possible and promote team dynamics on the digital platform. To do this, the hybrid leader must have an increased focus on the workers social satisfaction and well-being through the digital platforms, by using cameras and conducting one-to-one-meetings regularly. / Datum: 2022-06-01  Nivå: C-uppsats, Företagsekonomi, 15 hp  Akademi: Akademin för Ekonomi, Samhälle och Teknik, Mälardalens Universitet   Författare: Linnea Jibbefors, 1999-06-17, David Ohrlander, 1997-08-10 Titel: DET BÄSTA HAR INTE HÄNT ÄN - En kvalitativ studie av hybridledarskap  Handledare: Magnus Hoppe  Nyckelord: Digitalt ledarskap, ledarskap, distansarbete, kommunikation, informations- och kommunikationsteknik, digital kommunikation, globala teams, virtuella teams, hybridledarskap och hybridarbete.  Forskningsfrågor:  ●        Hur tillämpas ett hybridledarskap?  ➢     Vilka är de mest framträdande möjligheterna och utmaningarna mellan arbetsplatsförlagt ledarskap och digitalt ledarskap? ➢     Hur påverkas ledarskapets tydlighet, tillit, teknik och team vid ett hybridledarskap? Syfte: Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur fenomenet hybridledarskap, ledarskap som äger rum både vid arbetsplatsförlagt och digitalt arbete, framträder i praktiken. Metod: I denna studie har en kvalitativ forskningsmetod använts där den empiriska datan samlats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. Den teoretiska referensramen la grunden för intervjufrågorna och totalt genomfördes 13 intervjuer. Därefter analyserades det empiriska materialet med stöd från teorin, vilket resulterade i att syftet och forskningsfrågorna kunde besvaras.  Slutsats: Hybridledarskapet har bidragit till en rad möjligheter och utmaningar för organisationer. De främsta möjligheterna innefattar att medarbetarna kan arbeta hemifrån eller på plats, vilket bidrar till effektivitet, då tiden kan användas till arbetsuppgifterna istället för att resa. Respondenterna menar att detta är framtidens sätt att arbeta för organisationer. Hybridledarskapet bör hantera fyra viktiga beståndsdelar; Tydlighet, Tillit, Teknik och Team. Hybridledaren måste kommunicera ut en tydlig målbild, upprätthålla en öppen och kontinuerlig tvåvägskommunikation, bidra till hög social närvaro samt främja gruppdynamiken på den digitala plattformen. För att göra detta bör hybridledaren ha ett ökat fokus på medarbetarnas sociala tillfredsställelse och välmående via de digitala plattformarna, genom användandet av kamera och regelbundna one-to-one–möten.