Even though the pros, cons and business outcomes for remote working were being tested in some organizations pre-Covid-19, it was surely not the priority for every business as it is now. The pandemic caught us off guard, and suddenly we found ourselves at home, without remote-work-specific workflows, processes and training to perform effectively. And it wasn’t all roses for business leaders, either. They were expected to step up and continue meeting strategic goals on the go while facing unparalleled stress, uncertainty and tough decision-making.
As we are moving through turbulent times, all indicators point to one thing: Remote working is here to stay, and traditional leadership approaches aren’t suited to tackling the challenges of this virtual working environment.
So, what should effective leadership be like for remote working in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environment?
Leadership 4.0: A Modern Approach To Remote Management
As one of the main topics at the World Economic Forum 2019, “Leadership 4.0” has become a byword in the human resources industry for the past few years. It was basically coined in the context of a much-needed and modern leadership model to be applied to the business needs of Industry 4.0 (the fourth industrial revolution) and to lead the future of work.