Leading Intercultural Virtual Teams During the COVID-19 Pandemic – Research Results

Objective: The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has been officially classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), meaning the infection is progressing faster and faster in many countries simultaneously. The United States of America has announced a travel ban on 28 European countries, many countries have closed universities, schools and kindergartens, and large gatherings of people have been forbidden. Many companies including Google, Apple and Microsoft encourage or mandate employees to adopt a work-from-home policy. For companies in the modern technology industry, the infrastructure and policy necessary for remote working are undoubtedly already implemented. However, for many smaller companies and organizations the situation was very different. Remote working and virtual team management did not occur or were limited to only a few people. The aim of the article is to present the problems of leading virtual intercultural teams, with particular emphasis on the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: Contemporary texts in the domain of cross-cultural leadership have been reviewed. Relevant existing research has been reviewed and primary research conducted. The latter consisted of 24 IDIs (Individual In-depth Interviews) with employees from various Polish organizations. Findings: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced thousands of enterprises to let their employees work remotely, but many of these companies were not as technologically prepared for the situation as they thought. We are faced with increasing international cooperation and coordination. The outbreak of COVID-19 has accelerated the need for clear standards in remote and virtual teamwork. The article analyzed the positive and negative aspects of the impact of COVID-19 on organizations and ways of virtual leadership. Value Added: This article answers the questions about the main problems faced by managers who had to lead teams in a virtual way. Recommendations: The author is aware of the fact that this is only an exploratory study. It is recommended that in order to gain a fuller picture of the issues underlying the findings, quantitative research with large number of respondents should be undertaken.