Leadership matters in crisis-induced digital transformation: how to lead service employees effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic

Bartsch Silke; Weber Ellen; Buettgen Marion; Huber Ariana

摘要

Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has, besides the health concerns, caused an unprecedented social and economic crisis that has particularly hit service industries hard. Due to extensive safety measures, many service employees have to work remotely to keep service businesses running. With limited literature on leadership and virtual work in the service context, this paper aims to report on leadership effectiveness regarding employees' work performance in virtual settings brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the input-process-outcome (IPO) framework, this research investigates the effectiveness of leadership on service employees' work performance mediated by work-related tension, autonomy, and group cohesiveness. Furthermore, this study explores moderating effects of the service provider's digital maturity. To test the derived model, the authors collected survey data from 206 service employees who, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, unexpectedly had to transform to a virtual work environment. The authors analyzed the data using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings The results indicated that it took task- and relation-oriented leadership behavior to maintain service employees' work performance in a virtual environment during crisis situations. Further, results indicated mediating effects of service employees' individual job autonomy and team cohesiveness; surprisingly, work-related tension did not impact employees' work performance. Results offered service businesses guidance on how to effectively lead in times of crisis when service employees predominantly work in virtual environments. Originality/value This is the first empirical study to show how leadership affects service employees' work performance in a virtual work environment during crisis times. Thus, the study contributes to the scarce literature on the impact of leadership in service firms that have to operate in such a setting.

机译：目的除了健康问题外，Covid-19流行病造成了前所未有的社会和经济危机，尤其袭击了服务业。由于安全措施广泛，许多服务员工必须远程工作以防止服务业务运行。在服务环境中的领导和虚拟工作中有限的文献，本文旨在报告Covid-19大流行所带来的虚拟环境中员工工作业绩的领导效力。设计/方法/方法在输入过程 - 结果（IPO）框架上绘制，本研究调查了与工作相关的紧张，自治和团体凝聚力介导的服务员工工作绩效的领导力的有效性。此外，这项研究探讨了服务提供商的数字成熟度的调节效果。为了测试派生模型，作者收集了来自206个服务员工的调查数据，由于Covid-19大流行，意外不得不转换为虚拟工作环境。作者使用部分最小二乘结构方程建模（PLS-SEM）分析了数据。调查结果表明，在危机情况下，它采取了任务和关系导向的领导行为，以维护服务员工在虚拟环境中的工作性能。此外，结果表明服务员工个人工作自主权和团队凝聚力的调解效果;令人惊讶的是，与工作相关的紧张局势没有影响员工的工作表现。结果提供服务业务指导关于如何在危机中有效地在危机中有效领导的指导，当时服务员工主要在虚拟环境中工作。原创性/值这是第一个展示领导地位在危机期间在虚拟工作环境中影响服务员工的工作性能的实证研究。因此，该研究有助于稀缺的文献对领导在这种环境中运营的服务公司的影响。

Leadership matters in crisis-induced digital transformation: how to lead service employees effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic

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