Browsing by Subject "kahdenvälisen esimies-alaissuhteen teoria (LMX)"

The aim of this study was to describe how managers establish relational leadership with remote employees and to investigate the special characteristics that remote work brings to managers' leadership. The study applies the leader-member exchange – theory (LMX) which is founded on the principles of trust and reciprocity. Technological and economical changes in people's working lives have made remote work a very topical and widely researched issue. However, up to now, few studies have focused on management of remote employees. This study will offer an insight into the subject of relational leadership in the context of leadership from a distance. The target group of the study consists of 12 managers from the capital region of Finland who are currently working as managers of partially remote employees. These managers work in companies, in the public sector or in associations. The data was gathered through theme interviews with the managers towards the end of the year 2015. The interview themes related specifically to the research questions, centering on the special characteristics of remote leadership and manager-employee interaction in the remote work context. The interviews were held in the interviewees' offices and the data was analyzed through content analysis. The study results indicated that relationships between managers and subordinates in remote work vary but were mainly positive. In addition, the study supports the theory that the manager plays an important role in building relational leadership with remote workers. Managers' ability to build and maintain trust was seen as important particularly in high-quality exchange relationships. The special characteristics of remote leadership primarily include technology-mediated communication, the need to adapt mentally to situations and the possibilities afforded to both employees and employers by remote work. In general, managers of remote employees need to have the ability to communicate effectively via technology, to build trust relationships with their subordinates, and to strengthen their team's sense of togetherness. This research highlights that while managing remote subordinates is a challenging form of leadership, it can be rewarding for the managers if successful, and is likely to enhance subordinates' well-being and efficiency at work.