CHALLENGES OF ENHANCING E-LEADERSHIP IN THE WORKPLACE BY TSHIDI M. WYLLIE – PhD Candidate (UNICAF University) Date: 01/ 03 / 2020 ABSTRACT COVID-19 came, the world stood still, the corporate world saw lockdowns, restricted movement, socialdistancing, face- masking and the need for employees to work from homes with efforts to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. “Big Tech” saw an increase in usage and ITC spiked as a mode of corporate communication between employees, supervisors and customers. Though virtual learning and E- management had always been in use, COVID-19 brought a massive increase in usage of AIT. The world was transformed into a “Media Age” which permeated into leadership practice and transformed the way leaders communicated with their followers and their clients. E-leadership became a critical aspect in the day to day running of businesses which saw virtual training seminars, virtual conferences, virtual parliament sessions, virtual psychosocial support services and so on. According to Haider et al., (2016) The importance of media communication gained popularity in the 1980s when managers who had a wide business social network circle were considered to be effective managers, he goes on to argue that with the advent of new technologies, gadgets, high- tech equipment’s and smart devices; human life has dramatically changed. This paper is therefore an attempt to discusses the possible chanllenges of E-leadership. Page 1 S ource : Juliana en (2011, M ay 19) http://juli-eafit.blogspot.com/2011/05/communication-and-virtual-team_19.html 1.0 Introduction The world has been transformed into a “Media Age” which has permeated into leadership practice and transformed the way leaders communicate with their followers and how they do business. According to Haider et al., (2016) The importance of media communication gained popularity in the 1980s when managers who had a wide business social network circle were considered to be effective managers, he goes on to argue that with the advent of new technologies, gadgets, high-tech equipment’s and smart devices; human life has dramatically changed. Pulley, L. M., & Sessa, V. I. (2001), DasGupta,(2011); Kornman et al (n.d); Iriqat & Khalaf (2017); Van Wart et al, (2019); Armstrong & Sambamurthy,(1999) asserts that, the technological explosion has brought new tools into the workplace that requires the need to transform organizations, keep up the pace with the technologies and do things differently; consequently this requires organizations to swiftly transit from the “industrial era” way of operating to the new “networked environment era”; which apart from being innovative, brings with it complex challenges. Page 2 1.1 E-Leadership defined E- leadership is defined as “a dynamic, robust system embedded within a larger organizational system and one of the most important elements of E- leadership is the virtual teams”. Virtual teams are part of the EEnvironment; this refers to a team of staff based in different locations, regions and at times countries but under the leadership of someone based in a different location. Virtual teams are employees based onsite whilst supervised through the use of ICT (Iriqat & Khalaf, 2017; Avolio et al.,2014; Haider et al., 2016;Avolio et al., 2001; Jung, 2010; DasGupta, 2011;Misra, 2009; Thite, 2000). Avolio et al (2014) defines E-leadership as “a social influence process mediated by AIT (Advanced Information Technology) to produce a change in attitudes, feelings, thinking, behaviour, and/or performance with individuals, groups, and/or organizations”(p.3). Subsequent definitions from different scholars seem to borrow from this definition by Avoli et al (2014). Avolio & Kahai (2003); Van Wart et al (2019) also opined that the only difference between E-leadership and leadership as a process of influence for followers to achieve organizational goals is that, E- Leadership does the same functions and roles but predominantly through technology- mediation between the leaders and virtual teams. Leaders have had to integrate Advanced Information Technology (AIT) into their leadership approach, new media technology is currently transforming the role of traditional leadership to E- leadership or Electronicbased leadership.We now talk of virtual teams /workforce, E-Environment, E- leadership and digitized or networked organizations (Avolio et al., 2000; Cowan, 2014; Pulley & Sessa, 2001, Adaba et al, 2015; Avolio & Kahai, 2003; Van Wart, 2019; Misra, 2009). The purpose of this paper therefore is to identify and discuss the challenges of enhancing E- leadership in the workplace, and this will include but not limited to; cultural diversity, language barriers, data management, competencies, training and development, ethical issues, trust, time-constraints/deadlines and the swiftness required in decision- making, as well as the issue of having to work with and/or coordinate the collaboration of dispersed virtual team members. Page 3 2.0 Challenges Data manageme nt Language AIT-Advaced Information Technologies cultural diversity E-LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES swift&mindful deadlines; Urgency Ethical Issues Time zones, dispersed Trust Adapted from: Gheni et al (2015) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281428323_The_Virtual_Teams_E-leaders_Challenges/figures According to Mohammad (2009) “the digitization of information is fundamentally changing how we work, how we organize work, and how we create value” (p.2). Digital revolution has transformed organizational processes worldwide. Nowadays human interaction is primarily through web-based or internet-based information technology applications. Though this digital revolution has positively transformed the world of work; the world of communication, altered business dynamics and leadership practice, it has also brought with it some challenges (Pulley & Sessa, 2001; Haider et al., 2016; DasGupta, 2011; Iriqat & Khalaf,2017; Karahanna & Watson,2006; Van Wart et al,2019). DasGupta (2011), Adaba et al (2015); argue that today‘s leader grapples with globally dispersion organizational divisions and sub-units, employees, subordinates, customers, stakeholders, suppliers and is dependent on AIT to effectively perform his duties. Therefore, the explosion in communication technology has led to frequent daily interactions with all those involved; who are mostly geographically dispersed. Page 4 2.1 AIT- competencies, infrastructure, training & Development Kornman et al (n.d); Avolio et al., (2001, 2014); DasGupta, (2011); posit that due to globalization and technological developments, leaders face new challenges; the speed at which news and information is shared poses challenges for leaders which they have to cope with. Haider et al., (2016); Van Wart et al,(2019) argue that the critical challenges faced by leaders in the public sector in this modern technological era is finding ways of effectively handling the new and diverse technological challenges. Yet to succeed in today’s fastpaced, complex tech revolution, a leader need not only be well vested in traditional conservative leadership processes, administrative and management dynamics, but must also have a broad understanding and competencies on how to efficiently utilise the technolo gy, use the technologically generated data to make prompt informed decisions; whilst at the same time finding ways of inspiring the team. Suffice to say; functioning in an E-environment requires an E- leader with technological savviness to deal effectively with the many ensuing challenges. Apart from leaders’ ICT competencies and infrastructural costs, the integration of AIT brings with it issues of training and development for the end user; as well as the capacity to sustain the technology and the need for continuous upgrading of the technology (both software and hardware); this is crucial to staying networked as an organization; especially now working with dispersed teams (Keengwe et al., 2009, Kornman et al.,n.d.; Van Wart et al,2019; Adaba et al., 2015; Karahanna & Watson,2006) According to Mohammad (2009); Gruber et al., (2015) and DasGupta, (2011), Possible erroneous transmission of information to the whole organization or separate organization is possible; wherein message intended for a specific person, section, Unit, Division or Department may accidently get sent elsewhere; this requires cautiousness; paying attention to detail and vigilance in processing data. Moreover, having certain competencies as an E- leader to manage unprecedented data, make sense of it, use it to make swift decisions at a “click of a button” is therefore very critical. Page 5 The other downside is the fast pace at which the technology keeps evolving, to which organizational infrastructure and finances may not keep up as well as possible incompatibility of tools between the teams. It’s important for Leaders to be competent and comfortable in using digital technologies in order to maintain the flow of information. Consistency is also crucial, moreover, it’s important to stay connected at all times and not have interruptions in order not to miss updates; in order to respond promptly and offer necessary support to the teams. It’s equally essential to have a competent team of technicians for technical support, upgrading of software when necessary, in order to keep communication with the teams constantly active to meet deadlines and these can be a mammoth of a task to maintain the standards (Van Wart et al, 2019; DasGupta, 2011; Pulley & Sessa, 2001, Cortellazzo et al, 2019, Adaba et al, 2017; Gheni et al, 2015). Sharing the same view is Kornman et al (n.d) who established that effective organizational communication and performance can be possible if leadership improved on their communication methods, became competent on the use of the new technologies, incorporated or enhanced E- leadership into their organizations and equally created unrestricted access of communication media to their workers. 2.2 Ethics and data management The most challenging issue for leaders today is monitoring, controlling the content and flow of information, hence Kornman et al.,(n.d.); Van Wart et al (2019);Gheni et al (2015) and Cortellazzo et al (2019) cautions that leaders have to set clear guidelines and practices that are in accordance with national and international data security policies and monitor the use and storage of personal sensitive data; ensure adherence to ethical codes to prevent unlawful data practices which may damage their organizat ional image; reputation and trustworthiness as clients trust that their information will be safely stored and utilised. Evidently, clear expectations and boundaries for employees have to be set and leaders have to be exemplary in their use of ICT; set precedence and standards which employees could emulate, failing which they could beunauthorised disclosure and sharing of confidential data worldwide. Page 6 Kane et al., (2014) argues that despite the challenges associated with the new technologies; the new tools of communication enables managers and employees to act and interact with each other in ways that were never deemed possible in the past centuries; there is now swift transmission of informatio n; from any place, at any time. Cortellazzo et al (2019), Avolio et al., (2001); Van Wart et al (2019) argue that accompanying digital transformation is data storage, massive use and disposal of the same, this may raise ethical concerns; for example; the use of sensitive data creates a dilemma for E- leaders in businesses dealing with privacy protection and controlling mechanisms in the workplace; e.g the use of Electronic Surveillance poses possible ethical issues of intrusion to employees, clients and general public. Similarly, Van Wart et al (2019) points out the possible security risks to organizational data and to individuals; sighting possible breaches and organizational information leakage, whilst Kossek (2016) on the other hand argues that reluctance or resistance to embrace technological change may occur due to lack of trust, fear of possible risks presented by other online users and limited competencies by some employees, coupled with the demand to be always connected which may result in some feeling overwhelmed; which may lead to a decrease in uptake. Wolf et al, (2018) shares similar views and opined that failure to manage the boundaries could deplete employees’ energy; resulting in burnout, fatigue and possible lower engagement, compromised well-being, conflict between teams, poor teamwork and ultimately poor communication. Nonetheless, successful implementation and integration of advanced infor mation technology platforms; webbased or internet-abled information technologies requires a balance between traditional leadership and the new media age E- leadership. Nowadays the nature of projects and organizations demand that leadership integrate AIT to cope with global transformation, therefore, the use of a more tech-savvy leadership approach does not only have to embrace ICT, but also has to accommodate the integration of these technologies into their daily organizational processes (Iriqat & Khalaf, 2017; Hambley, 2007; Van Wart et al 2019). Page 7 Hence, Mohammad, (2009); Cowan, (2014) postulates that the interface between the leader and the followers has significantly changed; Leaders nowadays conduct most organizational leadership processes largely through electronic channels. 2.3 Virtual teams management issues: time-zones, cultural differences, language barriers & trust The E-leader’s biggest challenge is having to manage virtual teams with geographical, time zone, cultural and language differences, but nonetheless, being expected to have to successfully build trust through the use of technology. According to Mohammad (2009); Avolio et al.,(2001); DasGupta,(2011); Iriqat & Khalaf (2017); Adaba et al.,(2015); Karahanna & Watson,(2006); Hambley et al (2007) E-leaders face challenges such as; delayed communication, misunderstanding from lack of response, lack of similar interpretation of messages due to varied perceptions, lack of non-verbal cues, lack of trust, language issues and cultural barriers. This may complicate the ability to monitor dispersed virtual teams; which may also be compounded by differing time zones and possible incompatibility of digital communication devices (software etc); due to the ever evolving technological upgrading. E-environment mostly referes to isolated professional workers, who are dispersed, separated by dis tance and time and yet an E- leader has to ensure collaboration, monitor, inspire and instil effective performance through the use of AIT regardless of the team members being in different locations, time zones, regions and sometimes in different continents. Therefore, E- leaders have to balance relationships with “online” teams and the face-to-face team, create cohesion, collaboration and build trust in the teams desp ite lack of non-verbal cues, but only having to rely on the devices, this may lead to misinterpretation, misunderstandings, possible conflict, delayed responses and delayed decision- making, for those in the third world, there could be possible regular interruptions due to regular power cuts and load-shedding which may affect performance and projects completion time (Avolio et al., 2001; Crawford-Mathis, 2009; Avolio & Kahai, 2003; DasGupta, 2011;Adaba et al,2015; Iriqat & Khalaf,2017;Hoch & Kozlowski,2014;Hambley,2007; Van Wart et al,2019). Page 8 Consequently, global interconnectedness may present a challenge to the leader on how well to coordinate a project being implementation by virtual teams due to different time zones, cultural differences, language barriers and efforts to create cohesion in the team may present a challenge which an E- leader has to overcome and subsequently build trust in the team (Mohammad, 2009; Kapoor et al, 2017; Avolio et al.2003; Avolio et al., 2001; DasGupta, 2011; Gheni et al, 2015). Virtual teams imply that leaders cannot physically observe team members’ behaviour nor rely on facial expressions and other non-verbal communication to understand the team’s thoughts, feelings and actions. This is considered one of the biggest barriers to developing and managing interpersonal relationships with virtual teams. Heavy reliance on ICT may become an even bigger problem if the AIT tools malfunctions or experiences network challenges which may lead to failure to distribute or receive information to and from all the team members, or failure to understand or convey the level of urgency of the information, and/or failure to interpret the meaning of the silence which may lead to assumptions, wrong conclusions and ill- informed decisions (Van Wart et al,2019;Adaba et al, 2015; Iriqat & Khalaf, 2017; Hoch & Kozlowski, 2014; Gheni et al, 2015). Geographical dispersion also implies cultural diversity between team members, which may affect leaders’ ability to build and maintain team spirit and trust (DasGupta, 2011; Cowan, 2014; Cortellazzo et al, 2019; Hoch & Kozlowski, 2014). Therefore, E- leaders have to overcome challenges emanating from cultural diversity which include language barriers, different work culture, attitudes to time management, and possible conflict ensuing from cultural misunderstanding, and communication breakdown which may affect team cohesion and ultimate team performance (Adaba et al ,2015). Page 9 S ource: Adaba et al (2015) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273710071_Challenges_to_Effective_Collaboration_in_CrossCultural_Virtual_Teams/figures?lo=1 2.4 “Swift and mindful”, deadlines, urgency; “Top-down and Grass roots” and decision-making Failure to act promptly on e-mails and other communication tools may have a negative impact on performance and delay or affect decision- making. Pulley & Sessa (2001) refers to it as “swift and mindful” paradox; which entails the need for an E- leader to act fast and make swift decisions; the situation which often result in multi- tasking, juggling between interactions and between tools and possible errors and/or mistakes in swift decision- making and possible mental fatigue, burnout and exhaustion. Since employees also have access to the same system and information platform, there may be possible conflict in the event of disagreement between employees and management. Subordinates may openly challenge certain decisions made by executives which may result in engagement of the whole organization in decision- making concerning the issue. Pulley and Sessa (2001) perceives it as Top-down and Grass roots paradox, wherein this technology gives people the voice regardless of their position in the organization, and therefore gives them the power to influence the outcomes in decision-making (Mohammad, 2009; Gruber et al, 2015; DasGupta, 2011). Avolio et al (2001) and Cowan (2014) purpot that employees may gain access to information that contradicts a strategic leadership directive which may result in issues of credibility and trust being affected. Page 10 Concurring with this argument is Wharton@Work (2018); Karahanna & Watson (2006); Van Wart et al (2019) who opined that Communication media encourages horizontal collaboration and unscripted conversations that short-circuit established power dynamics and the traditional lines of communication, therefore this revolution comes with inherent risks that create uncertainty and uneasiness to the leadership, and a mismatch between the logic of participatory media and the still-reigning emphasis on linear processes and vertical leadership control. 3.0 CONCLUSION Consequently, as literatures reveals (DasGupta, 2011.; Hoch & Kozlowski,2014).; Van Welsum & Lanvin 2012), the goals of leadership to inspire, create a shared vision, direct, build trust, motivate and influence employees to achieve organizational goals and objectives have not changed, what’s improved is a medium of communication for implementing the same goals. Therefore, suffice to say, E- leadership is just a new leadership paradigm that requires the leader to perform his leadership roles and functions, and achieve organizational objectives through the use of electronic devices; working with teams that are dispersed over space and time to run organizational processes. The main medium of communication between the leader and virtual teams is now predominately electronic; through computer, smartphones etc using E- mail, Teleconference, video-calls, and even social media applications (twitter,WhatsApp, telegram, facebook etc) hence the concept “E-leadership” and the title “E-leader”. Therefore, despite all these challenges, it’s important to point out that we live in an era of information Knowledge and the use of information technology has emerged as the source of competitive advantage which cannot be ignored. 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