Leadership effectiveness in a virtual environment in a information technology department at a South African Bank
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Date
2022
Authors
Chikwata, Kim
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
COVID-19 has led to organizations operating their business in a different way to what
they were used to. Employees went from being office bound, to working from home, so
that organizations were able to continue operating. This led to organizations being faced
with challenges when working in a virtual environment. The problem that managers in the
IT (information technology) department at a South African bank faced was that, if they did
not lead their teams effectively whilst working in a virtual environment, it could lead to a
decrease in employee satisfaction and performance. This research identified leadership tools to assist leaders in achieving leadership effectiveness in a virtual environment at the IT department at a South African bank. The researcher identified leadership tools a leader can use to achieve leadership
effectiveness in a virtual environment. The researcher used the quantitative method to
conduct the research. Online surveys were used to gather data from the IT department
of a South African bank. The researcher then used means, graphs, correlations and box
plots to analyse and interpret the collected data. The respondents responded positively
to most of the questions posed to them. The researcher was able to conclude that
sufficient communication was taking place between the leaders and employees of the IT
department. Employees believed that they were able to trust their leaders and that their
leaders supported them in achieving their goals. The data revealed that the leaders were
displaying certain behaviours representing leadership styles identified by the researcher
from literature. The researcher found that the employees believed that the leader did not
always bring a sense of order to their work. The research also indicated that, when
employees experience conflict, the leaders do not always assist in resolving it.
The researcher made recommendations that the IT department can apply to improve its
leadership effectiveness. Implementing these recommendations will assist the IT
department to achieve their objectives and achieve leadership effectiveness in a virtual
environment
Description
Dissertation (MBA (Business Administration))--University of the Free State, 2022