Leading from face-to-face to virtual: leaders' experiences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal during the pandemic.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown disrupted the usual functioning of businesses and organisations had to operate remotely to continue working. This brought about a unique opportunity for organisations such as traditional Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), who would not have previously considered virtual work arrangements, to explore and experience the opportunities and possibilities of virtual work arrangements. Post-COVID-19 pandemic, organisations are now re-strategising and incorporating elements of virtualness in their operations, which require new structures and leadership beyond traditional face-to-face approaches. This increasing interest in virtual work arrangements and existing virtual leadership challenges necessitates further research to explore leaders' experiences of leading virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic to identify successful approaches and their specific challenges. The study employed the qualitative research approach to explore leaders’ experiences of leading virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in South Africa. A purposive sampling technique was used in selecting the study participants. Thirteen participants were interviewed, including academic leaders and directors of professional services. The interviews were recorded via Zoom and subsequently transcribed. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts was undertaken using the NVIVO software. Codes and themes were generated from the analysis to answer the research questions. The study findings revealed that participants adopted and hardened their face-to-face leadership styles upon transitioning to virtual leadership. Amongst the attributes and behaviours exhibited by the leaders were trust, empathy, good communication, consultation, and self-confidence. Some of the challenges participants faced when leading virtually included a lack of participation by subordinates, slow response rates, exhaustion, balancing work and personal life, isolation, and load shedding. Generally, participants expressed both positive and negative feelings toward leading virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. All participants believed that the era of completely face-to-face work arrangements is over and that a hybrid working model should be adopted and institutionalised in the future. Based on the key findings of the study, a face-to-face-to virtual leadership transition conceptual framework was developed to illustrate the possible journey of face-to-face leaders to become virtual leaders.