Digital transformation and its impact on companies
It has been an age of fresh, wider, and aggressive leadership at the beginning of the 21st century (Unal, 2016). Zoom, Microsoft, and Skype are just a few of the communication tools made possible by technological advancements. As a consequence, businesses may be more agile, adaptable, and responsive as a result of leaders’ adoption of digital leadership styles (Schmidt, 2014). Many businesses have been disrupted by the Covid-19 outbreak, and traditional business practises have had a huge influence on the world economy (Bartik et al. 2020). That this epidemic has had the most destructive impact on people since World War II is based on reports from the World Bank (Bleicher, and Stanley, 2016). As a driver for business success, digital transformation has grown more important to companies over the last decade (Sabbagh et al. 2013). Digital transformation is the use of digital technologies by substituting non-digital processes in order to transform services or company. In terms of adoption and efficiency, the employees’ attitude toward digital transformation will have a significant influence (Solberg et al. 2020). In 2020/2021, digital transformation has taken on a whole new meaning and relevance for enterprises; it’s now a question of survival or death for many companies (Karn, 2022). In light of the increasing need for remote work and social alienation, leaders have been compelled to implement new policies and procedures in response. As a result, health care corporations have been forced to adapt and alter in order to make their workplaces digital rather than risk spreading and acquiring the Covid-19 virus. D’mello (2020) conducted a survey of UK business executives and found that 96% of them have experienced an increase in digital transformation.
When the Covid-19 epidemic occurred, businesses were forced to pursue technological change across the board as a matter of urgency (Forbes, et. al., 2020). Managers have less influence over employees who work remotely, so they may give them more autonomy and responsibility. Some research on how remote work affects employee motivation has been done, although it is quite limited. In terms of how remote work influences management style and staff motivation, there isn’t much to go on (Finders, 2020). Additionally, tackling remote work was made more difficult since many businesses were unprepared for an occurrence like the Covid-19, both in terms of leadership planning and the utilisation of digital communication platforms. Leaders and workers are both used to face-to-face contacts in the workplace since directing a company remotely (i.e. interacting digitally) is a new occurrence for many leaders. It’s also not uncommon for organisations with a lack of experience with communication platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Hangouts to conduct remote work (Blackburn et al. 2020). The healthcare leaders also struggle during the time of Covid-19 as it became difficult to manage and coordinate with team members and making them work effectively during the pandemic remote working situation.
The research aims at investigating the challenges and issues faced by the leaders and managers of healthcare organisation and change in their leadership styles after the situation of remote working during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
- Difficulty in leadership and management issues during and after the remote working situations, specifically in health care organisations.
- The impact of change in Leadership during the pandemic remote working upon employee performance.
- What challenges and issues were faced by the leaders and managers during and after the remote working situations occurred during covid-19 pandemic?
- What positive and negative changes has been seen in leadership during the situation and how it impacted employee performance?
Remote work and its effects on management style and staff motivation
According to Solberg et al. (2020), this synergy between both the people in an organisation and technical progress is an uncommon phenomenon. Research portrays and examines the digital mentality of employees and the influence that may have on both recognising and utilising beliefs for digital transformation. When it comes to digital transformation, workers’ attitudes about technological change have a direct impact on their level of involvement, according to Solberg et al. (2020). It is the employees’ attitudes and digital mindsets that determine how these transitions might create possibilities for professional advancement and retain work resources.
The same holds true for Bleicher & Stanley (2019), who argue that digital transformation may either create or ruin a business. Digital transformation may contribute to long-term economic success for a company if done correctly, but it can also be disastrous if not done properly. A digital transformation may be a catalyst for a business since it delivers connection, improved decision making, higher production and economic development.
Shortland claims (2021), Employers often permit employees to work from home if their job responsibilities allow it. This helps to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Homework has historically been defined as the practise of allowing workers to occasionally work from their homes while still maintaining a regular work schedule at their employer’s location. An increasing number of employees are doing their job from home due to the outbreak of the pandemic. When Covid-19 infection rates drop and sites are no longer under lockdown, this work arrangement will be semi-permanent. This varies from regular homeworking. Because of this, many who work from home have become “remote workers,” a term that encompasses a wide range of work conditions. It has traditionally been used to describe people who work from home or in a co-working facility on a regular basis (a non-company provided workspace). Workers who are employed remotely may make rare or irregular trips to their place of work. Employees that are able to work from any location at any time are said to be doing remote work. Hot-desking, for example, is a common practise for these workers when they’re on-site at their employer’s location. It is entirely up to them where they want to work, though, as their function does not need their being physically present at the workplace. Their own residence, as well as any other venue, might serve as a meeting place. The article explains the common practices during the remote working and the leadership issues faced by the leaders and managers because of the remote working and at the same time lack of effectiveness and impact on employee performance.
Research by Holmberg and Petrelius (2020) found that the Covid-19 epidemic has altered the leadership of 34 distinct managers. Many managers, have struggled with their job roles and their conceptions of leadership. Almost all of the respondents agreed that it was difficult to strike the right balance between promoting worker autonomy and self-motivation while yet having insufficient means of physical monitoring of the workforce. After moving to virtual workplaces, establishing and sustaining trust got increasingly difficult, according to Holmberg & Petrelius (2020). The lack of in-person interaction and overall control over corporate operations necessitated managers to put their faith in their personnel and institute new procedures. Communications and trust (trust the change process, trust in the people and for leaders to have faith in themselves) are the most important aspects for leaders during this epidemic, according to the authors.
Challenges in the adoption of digital communication platforms
the study suggests that tacit communication in a virtual world is difficult to express. In addition, managers reported a loss of many smaller, informal social encounters such as “Water cooler talks” or conversing in the kitchen or break area. This is significant, as past studies have shown that the casual chit-chat and small talk that could occur during a typical, physical workweek can lead to important decision, lobbying, and discussions (Kirchner, et. al., 2021). The authors conclude that Covid-19 necessitates a rethinking of the job, and new leadership methods may be developed largely through a shift to remote labour. In spite of this, there is still room for improvement and a better understanding of what it means to lead remotely (Holmberg & Petrelius, 2020).
Leaders and workers must work together to ensure a smooth transition away from the traditional office setting as work shifts online (Barrios & Pitt, 2020). In their study, they discovered how leaders might guide and assist their employees as they transitioned from the physical office to virtual workspaces. One of the most essential things a leader can do is become a better communicator so that their teams know exactly what tasks are most important and how to delegate the work accordingly (Barrios & Pitt, 2020). In a distributed workforce, it is imperative that employees communicate effectively in order for everyone to be on the same page. Leaders must also be accessible to their staff, according to Barrios & Pitt (2020). In a remote working environment, a leader must be available to all employees for work and to discuss concerns related to the remote work environment. Organizational leaders should step up their involvement with their employees as they become increasingly disengaged from the workplace. Leaders must grasp the significance of physical touch, which used to be commonplace but is now restricted owing to government laws. If executives don’t address this issue and come up with a solution, such as webcam calls or other alternatives, the employee may lose incentive to work (Tanpipat et al. 2021).
There has been an investigation of the distant leadership strengths of health care organisations by Moiso, et al (2022). Gather and integrate existing empirical findings on remote leadership and give information that may be used to establish successful health care remote leadership. A comprehensive review of research published between 2010 and 2019 was done. Twenty-one studies out of a possible total of eighty-eight were found to meet the criteria for inclusion in the final evaluation. Data-based convergent synthesis was used to analyse the included research, a mixed methods synthesis technique. According to the findings of the study, three primary topics were identified: the qualities of effective remote leadership; increasing member-leader relationships; and the obstacles of distant leadership; The first topic includes the following sub-themes: trust; communication; and leadership of the team culture. There were three main themes addressed in this section: the need of having frequent meetings, clear communication protocols, and the connection between great team spirit and the quality of the remote leader-member interaction (Terkamo?Moisio, et. al., 2022). Moreover, the research demonstrates that remote leadership has not been well examined in the health care contexts. Remote leadership relies heavily on trust, communication, team spirit, and a leader’s traits, all of which may be used to improve the present culture in health care companies.
Impact of digital mindset on recognizing and utilizing beliefs for digital transformation
Wang and colleagues (2020) argue that traditional leadership practises such as monitoring and workload are incompatible with the digital era and remote employment. They expressed a great deal of frustration and loneliness as a result of stringent surveillance and excessive workloads after making the transition to remote work, as revealed by the study participants (Wang et al. 2020). According to the authors’ findings, Wang, et al. (2020) stressed the need of adjusting one’s work style to meet the demands of the digital age. Employees and managers should be informed of the difficulties associated with performing remote work.
The research conducted by Kiljunen, et. al., (2022), Although remote working and leadership in health-care contexts has risen, no research has examined how this affects health-care workers’ work-life balance. This study aimed to map current literature and research themes on remote leadership in health care and identify possible research gaps to guide future investigations. Therefore, this review was carried out. For this study, the researcher did a synthesis review and narrative encompassing all available literature on remote, virtual, online or distant leadership methods. Most material discussing remote leadership and management in healthcare coverage has been written throughout the previous three decades. The primary topics discovered in this research stream are connected to interactions, work settings, leadership in practice, usage of technology and demands for greater study of remote and distant leadership and assistance for remote leaders. Greater extensive study on the phenomena is needed, with more important part to, and inclusion of, relevant individuals, concepts, situations and the identified themes. Originality/value, Since remote working and leadership in health care has become increasingly common, it is critical, in the opinion of the authors, that this be the first review to describe existing research on the topic and to identify any research gaps.
The authors will employ an exploratory design method in order to achieve the goals of this study. A first literature study produced credible data and underpinned theory-based research. For the purpose of providing an explanation for research questions, the authors seek to identify the factors driving the study objective (Collins & Hussey, 2014). As a result, the research will give readers interested in unexplained events with credible and comprehensible findings. The exploratory study would enable authors better comprehend the research issue and produce more specific problem statements by analysing the deep and open replies from practical inquiry within the uncertainties and constraints of the phenomena (Collins & Hussey, 2014). The exploratory approach works well with an objective conclusion since the authors’ goal is to get a thorough grasp of the facts and give explanations through abductive research. In addition, an interview will be used to collect information.
The authors use an interpretivist approach to their study, choosing to undertake abductive studies to put theories and practical investigations to the test of already existing occurrences. Collis & Hussey (2014) were the first to introduce and employ abductive research since the grounded theory had been widely and inexorably implemented throughout academia in order to identify the little-known facts underlying the perplexing phenomena. It is distinct from deductive research (top-down) and inductive research (bottom-up) (down-top work). It is the primary goal of abductive research to find answers to mysteries that have baffled us for a long time. Abductive research, rather than inductive research, is more suited for this study because of the short time frame and the specificity of the research objectives, which need a smaller scope of vision and sampling-research. Instead of developing a new theory, the research tries to examine already-known facts, uncover the underlying causes of a particular phenomenon, and put that knowledge to use in practical uses. Abductive approaches are more useful when researchers are trying to address the research questions underlying a specific phenomenon and provide credible explanations.
Importance of correct implementation of digital transformation for long-term economic success of a business
Research paradigms are conceptual frameworks that influence the conduct of scientific research (Collis & Hussey, 2014). An interpretative paradigm will be employed by the researchers whatsoever during their investigation. Positive and interpretative paradigms are two of the most common paradigm methods. For example, “knowledge is generated from positive information since it is scientifically verifiable” or “any rationally acceptable argument may be logically proven”.
In contrast to the negative method, which relies on participants’ views, the positive approach relies on participants’ knowledge and information being obtained in an objective and independent manner. As a result of the ease with which the data may be viewed and analysed using a quantitative technique, the authors of these research frequently employ a positive approach as well. The authors of this study, on the other hand, choose to use an interpretative method. An interpretative method is one that draws on the thoughts and feelings of those who took part in the study to arrive at conclusions.
“interpretivism is grounded by the concept that social world is not objective, but extremely subjective since it is moulded by human views” may easily describe it (Collis & Hussey, 2014). To grasp and achieve an interpretative understanding of anything, an interpretive method seeks to analyse and understand social phenomena. Interpretive research occurs when the conclusions are not discovered in the statistics, but rather in a smaller number of more detailed examples. With this technique, the present research focuses on the sentiments and interpretations of employees from the firms under investigation, and so subjectivity is critical for the outcomes and empirical findings.
Primary and secondary data make up the vast majority of the data gathering. Primarily collected information comes from an individual or a small number of individuals chosen at random by the researchers. In order to better comprehend, explain, and support the study objective of the data acquired, questions are meant to be unique and tailored to the research topic. In this study, data will be gathered using a mix of primary and secondary sources, as well as a qualitative and quantitative methodology. The primary data collection for this study will be conducted through the interpretive research paradigm. For the primary data, an interview will be conducted with the leaders of a two health care organisations and their employees to get their opinion regarding the issues and challenges faced by them during remote working and for the secondary data, a literature review has been conducted to support the findings of qualitative study (Baran, 2016).
The research has been done in accordance with the ethical criteria in order to ensure that the respondents are treated with respect and are not in risk of experiencing an ethical repercussion. It is customary in qualitative research to refer to participants as individuals who are actively and voluntarily engaging in the study; this is the approach followed in most cases. The relevance of ethical and moral standards in the conduct of a qualitative investigation has been recognised in this study. In order to provide a high-quality research practise defined by relevant and trustworthy data, the authors addressed the factors of secrecy, transferability, validity and reliability, and credibility when performing the study. Each parameter will be discussed in further detail in its own section.
Conclusion
Conclusively, in this study, the researcher will aim at addressing the issues and challenges faced by leaders and managers during the situation of Covid-19 pandemic as most of the industries shifted their working to online platforms. This will further analyse the impact upon the employee’s performance and the positive and negative change in leadership styles. For collecting the data and evidences for the study, a literature review has been conducted. Further, for this research a mixed method approach for conducting the study has been undertaken by the research. For the primary data collection, interviews will be conducted with the leaders and managers of different health care organisation to get their viewpoints and experiences related to the issue and the findings of this interview will be backed by a literature review that will be later analysed through exploratory approach.
References
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