Ledarskap på distans - En kvalitativ studie om hur konsulten uppfattar att ledarskap på distans kan påverka trivsel i ett teknikkonsultbolag

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate distant leadership and how this factor can have an impact on a consultant's comfort when on an assignment at another geographical location. The study also aimed to present suggestions for how the organization can work to improve the distant leadership in order to promote the comfort of the consultant. The subject of the study was chosen based on its relevance for the human resource management field, but also since the consultant role is getting more and more current at the labor market. Organizations choose to hire consultants to a greater extent as a form of flexible workforce and the consultant role is also often actively chosen by the individual due to potential benefits such as the perceived flexibility within the role and the experience of a greater opportunity to manage the own work (Tsoukalas, 2003; Andersson, 2011). The present study was conducted at an IT consultant company and the data was collected through a qualitative method. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were held over Skype and Facetime with ten IT-consultants at the organization and the respondents were selected through a selection method where first line managers at the organization asked consultants at their unit if they wanted to participate. The result showed that the consultants at the current organization generally experience a high level of comfort in the consultant role and that the leadership at the organization is perceived as virtually close (Antonakis & Atwater, 2002). By relating previous research and the current study’s result to Herzberg’s FAE model (Hedegaard Hein, 2018), a discussion was held to answer the purpose of the study. The conclusion shows that there is a positive connection between distant leadership and the consultant’s comfort, although the distant leadership factor cannot by its own explain whether an individual is pleased in the consultant role since there are other factors that has an impact. However, the result can still be of relevance for the organization since it shows of the importance of a good distant leadership in order to promote the comfort of the consultant.