AccessMyLibrary provides FREE access to over 30 million articles from top publications available through your library.

Telecommuting in the 21st century: benefits, issues, and a leadership model which will work.

Journal of Leadership Studies

| March 22, 2002 | Gibson, Jane Whitney; Blackwell, Charles W.; Dominicis, Peter; Demerath, Nicole | COPYRIGHT 2002 Baker College System - Center for Graduate Studies. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)Copyright

Executive Summary

This article looks at the evolution of telework in the United States as well as the benefits and potential problems associated with this growing phenomenon. One of these issues, effective leadership of teleworkers, is the focus of the article. The authors suggest that Situational Leadership[TM], a leadership model which has been in use since the late 1960s, is an appropriate tool for leaders to use in successfully influencing their off-site workers. Situational Leadership[TM] is explained and applied to a variety of telecommuting scenarios.

Introduction

In the late 1800s, the nature of work changed drastically as Americans began the move from an agricultural society to a manufacturing society. Alvin Toffler's second wave was characterized by the growth of urban areas and the disassociation of workers from the final product. (1991) Owner-operators and then a class of supervisor-leaders found themselves challenged to encourage productivity from large numbers of employees who had no ownership in the organization. Leadership, previously mostly a concern of governments and the military, became a far more common need in the growing industrial economy.

Now, in the first years of the 21st century, America finds itself well along in the transition to Toffler's third wave, the post-industrial society characterized by knowledge workers who are far more educated and professional than their forebearers. Many of these workers are deserting the traditional factory or office and working in non-traditional environments such as hotel rooms and home offices. Can 20th century leadership techniques work in this age of the teleworker or is a drastic reconceptualization of leadership needed?

This article posits that one time-honored leadership model, Situational Leadership[TM], can be effectively applied by leaders who work with teleworkers of all types. First, however, the authors look at the definition and evolution of telework in the United States and then investigate the benefits and challenges associated with this relatively new phenomenon.

Telework Defined

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, journals, and more
Element K and Center for Leadership Studies Develop Online Situational...
Press release article from: Business Wire August 20, 2001 700+ words
...version of Dr. Paul Hersey's Situational Leadership(R) Core program. The new offering, named Situational Leadership Core(R), features content...on www.elementk.com. Situational Leadership(R) Core provides leaders...
Situational leadership. (Online).(Element K have put together an...
Magazine article from: T&D Lowell, Richard April 1, 2003 700+ words
...Blanchard developed the model of Situational Leadership used in the Element K course...influence to accept leadership. Situational Leadership is based on the interplay among...task or achieving an objective. Situational Leadership was designed to help all levels...
More effective via situational leadership ..BY: By Prasanna Raman ..LD: THE...
News wire article from: Asia Africa Intelligence Wire May 13, 2004 700+ words
...performance level of work. This is called situational leadership. Situational leadership, according to Associate Professor...for positive work response. "The situational leadership model explains the combination of relationships...
Situational leadership 101: what a new boss needs to know.
Magazine article from: Women in Higher Education June 1, 2005 700+ words
...described the benefits of using situational leadership. It's also based on Janvier...circumstances. Contingency leadership Situational leadership theory outlines basic patterns...offering praise or encouragement. Situational leadership suggests that there is no one best...
Analysis of the communication components found within the situational...
Magazine article from: Technical Communication Cranford, Christine February 1, 2002 700+ words
...relation to the Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership model. It reviews the correlation...behavior that forms the basis of the Situational Leadership Model. Then the article summarizes...relation to their effective use in the Situational Leadership Model. To understand the ...
Situational Leadership: Recognizing Differences.(Brief Article)
Newspaper article from: Nation's Cities Weekly Carrier, Kathy January 22, 2001 700+ words
...committed to the organization and her job. Situational Leadership Situational leadership is all about modifying your style to...Training Institute sponsored workshop, Situational Leadership Skills for Local Officials on Saturday...
Flood Waters No Match for Windsor Frozen Foods' Management Team After Taking...
Press release article from: Business Wire November 15, 2004 700+ words
...management training course called Situational Leadership(R) II, from San Francisco...catastrophes. Ninth House's Situational Leadership course teaches the skills that...experience gained from Ninth House's Situational Leadership training enabled our team to do...
MedEconomics: Time to read up on good leadership.(Leadership and the One Minute...
Magazine article from: GP April 20, 2007 700+ words
...helped me with running a practice. Situational leadership is one such concept that has worked...increasing effectiveness through situational leadership, you are taught that employees...styles match. The theory behind situational leadership is that a good manager judges what...
A Field Test of the Situational Leadership II Model in Two Highly Successful...
Magazine article from: Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport Case, Robert Branch, David March 1, 2001 700+ words
...effectiveness. Blanchard's (1985) Situational Leadership II Theory stresses the importance...to test the basic tenets of the Situational Leadership II Model in two similar sport program...support the basic tenets of the Situational Leadership II Th eory. In the first program...
How situational leadership fits into today's organizations.
Magazine article from: Supervisory Management February 1, 1996 700+ words
...can make independent decisions. The answer may lie in situational leadership, a concept that is far from new. It recognizes that...decisions whenever and wherever appropriate. Under situational leadership, managers adapt their leadership and decision making...
For more facts and information, see all results
©2009 Gale, a part of Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.
About us | FAQs | Contact us | Privacy policy | Terms and conditions
Other Gale sites: Encyclopedia.com | HighBeam Research | Acquire Content | Books & Authors | Goliath | MovieRetriever | Smart QandA