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The Online Adapted Transformational Leadership and Workforce Innovation within the Software Development Industry

Author

Listed:
  • Ioana Gutu

    (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza of Iasi, 11 Carol I Boulevard, 700506 Iasi, Romania)

  • Daniela Tatiana Agheorghiesei

    (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza of Iasi, 11 Carol I Boulevard, 700506 Iasi, Romania)

  • Ionel Ciprian Alecu

    (Romanian Academy Iasi Branch—“Gh. Zane” Institute for Economic and Social Research, Teodor Codrescu 2, 700481 Iasi, Romania)

Abstract

Leadership and workforce innovation are the two most glazed over universal phenomenon across time within the management literature. Despite the status of the buzz words, few researchers studied if there is a link between the online leadership behaviors and the de(in)creasing innovativeness of the followers at work. The current research aimed for offering a viable solution for the online-adapted leadership–workforce innovation equation, by answering to the following research question: is online transformative leadership able, and if so, are its instruments sufficient for increasing followers’ organizational and personal innovativeness within an exclusively online work environment? Research used a two-tailed questionnaire as a research instrument and applied it within the IT&C Industry in Iasi, Romania, namely the software development branch. Results were gathered during the first months of the social lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic; therefore, the ongoing communication and online work procedures implementation were captured via the subjects’ responses. Data was analyzed by using SemPLS (v3.2.5.) software; results show that transformational leadership instruments, once shifted within an exclusively online working environment, suffer from losing in importance and designated effects. Research provides information in regards to four general hypotheses that prove to be partially supported, sending the reader to the idea that an exclusively online-adapted work environment does not show expected results in terms on transformational leadership, nor workforce innovation. Therefore, online-based transformational leadership instruments need to be reshaped and adapted so that followers correctly perceive their leaders’ actions and behaviors on all the five dimensionalities.

Suggested Citation

  • Ioana Gutu & Daniela Tatiana Agheorghiesei & Ionel Ciprian Alecu, 2022. "The Online Adapted Transformational Leadership and Workforce Innovation within the Software Development Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-22, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:12:p:7408-:d:840952
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Galvão Meirinhos & António Cardoso & Maria Neves & Rui Silva & Reiville Rêgo, 2023. "Leadership Styles, Motivation, Communication and Reward Systems in Business Performance," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-30, January.

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