E-leadership Effectiveness Through Virtually Enacted Discourse

Date of Award

Summer 2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Committee Chair

John Suozzi

Committee Member

Eric Hutchison

Committee Member

Kathy Richie

Abstract

Using a quantitative, non-experimental design, this study analyzed the relationships between the degree of virtuality (i.e., for virtual, hybrid, and colocated employees), tools and techniques of leader communication, and employee perceptions of leadership effectiveness among full-time, currently employed faculty at an American university’s campus in Singapore. A Generalized Linear Model (GLM) regression analysis was used to explain and predict the extent to which specific factors of communication (frequency, predictability, responsiveness, clarity, and mode) lessen or strengthen the relationship between the degree of virtuality and employee ratings (i.e., perceptions) of leadership effectiveness. A second GLM regression analysis was performed to explain and predict the extent to which the degree of virtuality attenuates or strengthens the relationship between factors of communication and perceptions of leadership effectiveness. For the first analysis, the overall model showed that communication tools and techniques moderate the relationship between virtuality and employee ratings of leadership effectiveness. The second model could not support virtuality moderating the relationship between communication tools and techniques and employee ratings of leadership effectiveness. In both analyses, only the communication tools and techniques variable was significant in model fit tests. A one-way ANOVA was also performed to identify whether there was a significant difference in perceptions of leadership effectiveness between virtual, hybrid, and colocated employees. No significant difference could be identified in part due to the sample size of virtual employees being inadequate to produce meaningful results. Nonetheless, the overall results of this study support communication tools and techniques being significantly correlated with employee ratings of leadership effectiveness. This has implications for how leaders lead in virtual, hybrid, and colocated contexts with an emphasis on leader communication behaviors and overall leader effectiveness.

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