Perceived Efficacy of Virtual Leadership in the Crisis of the COVID-19 Pandemic

  • Sanja Bizilj University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • Eva Boštjančič University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • Gregor Sočan University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Abstract

As a crisis response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies quickly established virtual leadership systems and enabled employees to continue their work from home. This cross-sectional research addresses virtual leadership efficacy assessed by the leaders and by their employees. The findings suggest that leaders evaluate themselves significantly better than their employees, and their leadership efficacy mainly depends on their previous experience of working from home and ability to use communication technologies. This research contributes to the understanding of the factors that have the biggest influence on the belief in leadership efficacy in the context of a rapidly evolving system of remote work.

Author Biographies

Sanja Bizilj, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Sanja Bizilj is a PhD Student at the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Her research interests cover virtual leadership, leadership efficacy, and cross-functional collaboration. Currently, she holds a senior leadership position at a global international company.

Eva Boštjančič, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Eva Boštjančič is a full professor in the field of psychology of work and organization at the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana. Her research interests focus on the problems of talent, cultural intelligence and management in an organizational environment, as well as resuming work after burnout or a long illness, etc. She also advises, conducts workshops, gives talks to employees in private and public sectors, and manages the website www.psihologijadela.com .

Gregor Sočan, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Gregor Sočan received his PhD degree from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Currently, he is an Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. He teaches several courses on psychometrics and applied statistics. His research interests include psychometric methods (such as reliability estimation, test scoring, and measurement invariance) and applications of multivariate modelling methods, primarily in personality research and developmental psychology.

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Published
2021-10-11
How to Cite
Bizilj, S., Boštjančič, E., & Sočan, G. (2021). Perceived Efficacy of Virtual Leadership in the Crisis of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Changing Societies & Personalities, 5(3), 389–404. doi:10.15826/csp.2021.5.3.141
Section
Articles