Managers’ leadership in the “new normal” – facilitating employees’ wellbeing and work performance in hybrid work

Research problem and specific questionsThe purpose of the project is to study the importance of leadership for employee well-being and work performance in hybrid work (i.e. when work can be carried out both on site in regular operations and remotely through technical aids).

The following research questions will be focused on in the project: What does leadership mean in hybrid work, in terms of leadership behaviours and leadership activities, and how does leadership that is practised at a distance differ from leadership that is practised on site? Which leadership behaviours and leadership activities promote employee well-being and work performance in hybrid work?

What other factors in the work environment are important for these relationships?Data and methodThe project is aimed at managers and their employees where one or both are hybrid workers (i.e. work both on site and remotely to some extent, using technical aids).

Data are collected through interviews, document studies and a survey.Plan for project realisationThe project will run for three years and has a longitudinal design.

The project begins with interviews of managers and employees in the identified working groups and the project ends with follow-up interviews. Collection and analysis of relevant documents takes place in parallel with the first and second round of interviews. The interviews are used to construct a questionnaire that is sent out in two waves.

Interviews, document analysis and questionnaires together provide complementary information at both breadth and depth that is considered necessary to fulfil the purpose of the project.RelevanceFor the expected increase in hybrid work, where managers and employees work both on site and at a distance, to be manageable, more knowledge is needed about what managers can and should do to promote the well-being and work performance of their employees.

The project´s contribution is thus to provide a scientific basis for how organizations can promote employees´ well-being and work performance, without one happening at the expense of the other, regardless of where the work is performed. In this way, sustainability can also be created in the working life of the future.

The project also contributes theoretically to the research field by developing a conceptual framework for leadership in hybrid work and testing it empirically. The framework can also be used in future studies.