The Leader Competencies For Face Interactions And Virtual...

Studies agree that the leader competencies for face-to-face interactions and virtual interactions overlap (Dennis, Meola, Hall, 2013; Eissa, Fox, Webster, Kim, 2012; Madlock, 2012; Politis, 2014; Tartell, 2015). There are many similarities but also differences. For example, performance metrics used by leaders to evaluate projects and leadership competencies change drastically when the virtual environment is introduced (p. 49). The research highlighted that strategic leaders must be able to demonstrate, then be able to identify, leader competencies such as interpersonal skills and management skills, along with understanding the degree to which these skills are required for different strategic objectives (Orhan, 2014). Finally,†¦show more content†¦83). Cultivating a culture of connectedness requires the ability to keep the task in view while deepening virtual communications using creative methods for active listening and asking probing questions or clarifying questions (Tartell, 2015, p. 10). Virtual communications are also challenged by the sense of anonymity which lends itself to increased social loafing (Zhang, Chen, Latimer, 2011, p. 107). Leadership Skills and Traits. As the degree to which an organization is virtual increases so does the need for the leadership skill of conflict-management (De Paoli Ropo, 2015, p. 65). This stands to reason, since an increase in the virtual nature of an organization leads to an increase in the number of communication channels (Smith, 2014, p. 24). With these challenges in mind, studies show that there are certain personality traits that are important for virtual leaders (Eissa, Fox, Webster, Kim, 2012, pp. 12-14). Savolainen explained that e-leadership requires the ability to communicate presence, tone, and mood in the absence of body language but with the use of technology-mediated communication (Savolainen, 2014, p. 47). Another study found that while there are definitely overlapping traits that are important for both face-to-face and virtual leadership, leaders who work in highly virtual environments are challenged to apply them differently (Dennis, Meola, Hall, 2013, p. 4 8).