Background and Aim: Development and digitalization of contemporary work life means that leadership at a distance becomes commonplace practice in an increasing number of organizations. Which affects leader prerequisites to handle their followers psychosocial work environment. This study´s aim was to explore office workers perceptions of how leadership at a distance affects their psychosocial work environment. Methods: Ten informants (coworkers) from the Swedish Public Employment Service were interviewed using semi-structured questions and their narratives were analyzed using inductive content analysis. Results: The analysis resulted in three salient sub-themes which were Equality, Contraposition, and Losses. These sub-themes resulted in a main theme that expresses how leadership at a distance holds potential for improved psychosocial work conditions. If leaders acknowledge the increased autonomy employees expect from a remote leadership. And cooperate with their employees to compensate for the losses that accompany physical distance. Leadership at a distance also contains risks when the contact between leadership and employee doesn´t compensate for the losses that comes with physical absence. Which can lead to a psychosocial work environment where employees experience alienation, feelings of disregard and a lack of support. Conclusions: Leadership at a distance seems to create opportunities for employees to experience an improved psychosocial work environment, through a more autonomous everyday work environment. Including an opportunity for peer relation with their manager. With physical distance follows a loss of inter-human contact and fewer possibilities for a manager to perceive their co-workers everyday work environment. Meaning conditions where managers become dependent on their employees in a new way, not only for task performance, but for being able to handle psychosocial work conditions. Even if remote leadership seems compatible with a satisfying psychosocial work environment. The work place needs to make an effort for leaders to be present in new ways that facilitates psychological and functional closeness. In a way that allows managers to provide the freedom employees expect from a distance leadership along with the attention they need. Without letting their own control needs lead to detailed control and increased monitoring which may lead to a negative psychosocial work environment. Examples where leaders, and organizations as a whole, needs to reconsider new ways are: How to achieve availability, managers insight into the everyday work environment, building relationships that facilitate trust, and communicate clear expectations. Key Words: Leadership at a distance, remote leadership, psychosocial work environment, Swedish Public Employment Service, qualitative content analysis
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:hig-30856 |
| Date | January 2019 |
| Creators | Spielberger, Bernt |
| Publisher | Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för arbetshälsovetenskap och psykologi |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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