Leadership and Employees' Performance on the Verge of a New Era: The Challenges Brought by COVID-19 on Workplaces

A special issue of Administrative Sciences (ISSN 2076-3387). This special issue belongs to the section "Leadership".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 68593

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Polythecnic Institute of Coimbra/Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra - Escola Superior de Educação, Rua Dom João III, Solum, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal
2. ICNOVA – Instituto de Comunicação da NOVA/NOVA Institute of Communication, 1069-061 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: organizational studies; human resource management; management; behavioral science; organizational psychology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The current worldwide scenario for people management is full of challenges and uncertainties. As a result of the SARS-CoV-2 public health pandemic, the forms of work organization have changed dramatically and at breakneck speed. Under the threat of the disruption of national health services, successive restrictions were witnessed across the world in general, with governments seeking a balance between public health and operability in national economies. Within the framework of government decisions aimed at protecting public health, people-management measures, restrictions on movement and individual freedoms stand out, which materialized a new reality that is felt at the personal, family and professional levels.

The whole context generated by the countries’ reactions to the pandemic may have started a new era, namely, with the issues related to the management of people in pandemic times, the maintenance of work objectives, productivity and the management of social distancing at work. It is in this context that leadership issues emerge as fundamental aspects drawing attention in research, not only in terms of the critical space they occupy in management decisions, in the performance of workers, but also in the way businesses become and remain viable. Thus, and since the medium- and long-term effects caused by the pandemic in the workplace are still to be understood, it becomes relevant to study its impact in terms of the management of organizations, the ways people in which are managed, leadership and the effects on workers’ behaviour.

This Special Issue that we propose here is intended to discuss the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on leadership and people management, looking for research contributions on the changes felt in the workplace in the areas of leadership, people’s behaviour and human resource management. We seek submissions that focus on the approaches to leadership and HRM brought about by SARS-CoV-2 in order to evaluate new and insightful perspectives regarding the existence of a new era in people management. 

Relevant theoretical perspectives might include (but are not limited to):

● The impact of COVID-19 on human resource management;

● Leadership in pandemic times;

● Human capital;

● Lay-offs;

● Relational architecture;

● Positive workplace relationships at distance;

● Telework and leadership;

● The pandemic’s effects on work relationships;

● Work–life balance in pandemic times;

● The impact of COVID-19 on gender equality;

● Well-being in the era of COVID-19;

● Supportive behaviour  during   the crisis;

● Stress and burnout in pandemic times;

● Remote/on-line management;

● New generations and their adaptation to telework.

Prof. ‪Neuza Ribeiro
Prof. Daniel Roque Gomes
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • leadership
  • COVID-19
  • challenges
  • organizational behaviour
  • human resource management

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 568 KiB  
Article
Motivation and Productivity of Employees in Higher Education during the First Lockdown
by Jacqueline R. Rietveld, Djoerd Hiemstra, Aleid E. Brouwer and Jan Waalkens
Adm. Sci. 2022, 12(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci12010001 - 21 Dec 2021
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 9046
Abstract
In a cross-sectional study among 623 employees of a higher education institution, we examined the relations between perceived competence, autonomy, relatedness, intrinsic motivation, and productivity during the first lockdown in the spring of 2020. The results indicate that, relative to the period before [...] Read more.
In a cross-sectional study among 623 employees of a higher education institution, we examined the relations between perceived competence, autonomy, relatedness, intrinsic motivation, and productivity during the first lockdown in the spring of 2020. The results indicate that, relative to the period before the lockdown, the employees experienced an increase in autonomy and competence, but a decrease in relatedness, intrinsic motivation, and productivity. Structural equation modelling revealed that the decrease in productivity can be explained by a decrease in intrinsic motivation, which in turn can be explained by changes in relatedness, autonomy, and perceived competence. Thus, during the lockdown, both positive and negative motivational consequences of teleworking were observed. However, the ultimate consequence for employees’ productivity was negative. An important difference between this study and previous studies on the topic of teleworking, is that the present examined the motivational process under extreme circumstances in which employees had to switch overnight form onsite to remote working. Full article
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13 pages, 315 KiB  
Article
When COVID-19 Is the Invader and Internal Communication Is the Hero: Understanding the Influence of Internal Communication on Individual Performance and Evaluating the Mediating Role of Perceived Support
by Daniel Roque Gomes, Patricia Lourenço and Neuza Ribeiro
Adm. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 136; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci11040136 - 19 Nov 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4395
Abstract
Objective: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of internal communication (IC) of organisations on the quality of the individual–organisation relationship, specifically with regard to the effects generated with respect to individual performance (IP) in a pandemic framework. In [...] Read more.
Objective: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of internal communication (IC) of organisations on the quality of the individual–organisation relationship, specifically with regard to the effects generated with respect to individual performance (IP) in a pandemic framework. In this sense, the study intends to evaluate the effects of IC on the employee’s IP, having as a mediator perceived organisational support (POS). Methodology: To achieve the aforementioned objectives, a cross-sectional quantitative study was prepared, data for which were collected during a period of confinement that took place between 9 February and 15 March 2021. A total of 340 individuals of both sexes participated in the study. Genders were 67.6% female and 32.4% male, with ages ranging from 25 years to over 61 years, from all districts of Portugal and the Islands. Results: The main results obtained showed that IC was positively and significantly correlated with POS and also with IP, and that there was also a total mediation effect of POS in the relationship between IC and IP. Practical implications: These results seem to support the need for organisations to invest in their internal communication practices as a way of stimulating strong and fruitful relationships between workers and the organisation. Internal communication seems to be a relevant indicator for the management of proximity relationships with workers, especially in adverse contexts, like the ones experienced during the pandemic crisis. Well-developed internal communication supports and practices seem to be a valid path towards developing bonds leading to improved performance. Full article
29 pages, 1634 KiB  
Article
Do Servant Leadership Self-Efficacy and Benevolence Values Predict Employee Performance within the Banking Industry in the Post-COVID-19 Era: Using a Serial Mediation Approach
by Tasmeer Mujeeb, Noor Ullah Khan, Asfia Obaid, Guiling Yue, Hanieh Alipour Bazkiaei and Noor Azam Samsudin
Adm. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 114; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci11040114 - 14 Oct 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 7348
Abstract
Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant implications to the workplace and highly impacted employee performance in every organization. In contemporary research, the scholars agree that leadership is one of the critical antecedents to predict employee performance in organizations. However, research is needed [...] Read more.
Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant implications to the workplace and highly impacted employee performance in every organization. In contemporary research, the scholars agree that leadership is one of the critical antecedents to predict employee performance in organizations. However, research is needed to investigate the mediating role of integral factors such as benevolence values (BV) and self-efficacy (SE) in predicting employee performance in the workplace. This study aimed to investigate the impact of key antecedents on employee performance in the banking industry. The findings reveal that the key antecedents, e.g., servant leadership (SL), self-efficacy (SE), and benevolence values (BV), have a direct positive relationship with employee performance (EP). Moreover, multiple indirect paths were tested, including serial mediation. This study used a quantitative methodology based on the positivist paradigm. A sample of 560 employees was randomly chosen. A survey questionnaire was distributed among them, and 400 were returned with a response rate of 70%, and the clean data of 400 employees was used for data analysis. The structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was employed using Smart PLS 3.3.3 software. The results confirmed that both SE and BV mediate the relationship between SL and EP. Likewise, BV mediates the relationship between SE and EP, and SE mediates the relationship between SL and BV. Finally, in serial mediation, the relationship between SL and EP is also established via SE and BV together as mediators. Full article
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14 pages, 626 KiB  
Article
Telework and Work–Family Conflict during COVID-19 Lockdown in Portugal: The Influence of Job-Related Factors
by Cláudia Andrade and Eva Petiz Lousã
Adm. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 103; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci11030103 - 18 Sep 2021
Cited by 58 | Viewed by 9853
Abstract
Even though research has been showing that telework, under regular circumstances, could benefit the integration of work and family life, mandatory telework during the COVID-19 lockdown brought additional challenges, with potential to create conflicts between work and family spheres. Using regression analysis, this [...] Read more.
Even though research has been showing that telework, under regular circumstances, could benefit the integration of work and family life, mandatory telework during the COVID-19 lockdown brought additional challenges, with potential to create conflicts between work and family spheres. Using regression analysis, this study examined the contribution of demographic and job-related variables to the prediction of work–family conflict among a sample of 213 workers who were involved in mandatory telework during the first lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The results revealed that role overload, after-hours work-related technology use, and low job autonomy accounted for the prediction of work–family conflict. Support from the supervisors and coworkers did not have an impact in easing the perception of work–family conflict but presented a moderation effect between after-hours work-related technology use and work–family conflict. Implications of the study for management practices related to telework, limitations of the study, and directions for future research are discussed. Full article
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21 pages, 1501 KiB  
Article
Transformational Leadership and Turnover Intentions: The Mediating Role of Employee Performance during the COVID-19 Pandemic
by İlhami Yücel
Adm. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 81; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci11030081 - 11 Aug 2021
Cited by 36 | Viewed by 25004
Abstract
The purpose of this research paper is to explain the impact of transformational leadership on employees’ turnover intentions in light of the mediating role of their individual performance. More precisely, we attempt to explain (a) how TL connects to employees’ turnover intentions, (b) [...] Read more.
The purpose of this research paper is to explain the impact of transformational leadership on employees’ turnover intentions in light of the mediating role of their individual performance. More precisely, we attempt to explain (a) how TL connects to employees’ turnover intentions, (b) how TL connects to employee performance, (c) how employee performance connects to turnover intentions, and (d) how employee performance mediates the connection between intentions and TL. Four hundred and seventy-eight Turkish healthcare professionals participated in this research. The results revealed that employee performance mediates the connection between turnover intentions and TL. In other words, transformational leaders encourage employee performance, which in turn decreases their turnover intentions. This research has important implications for reducing turnover in workplaces and increasing employee performance by facilitating a setting for high performance, since employees who are supported by their leaders are generally more committed to their organizations and exhibit better performance. This research answers calls to study the mediating function of the TL procedure, since the mediation clarifies the circumstances under which TL relates to the favorable results. Full article
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13 pages, 860 KiB  
Article
COVID-19 and People Management: The View of Human Resource Managers
by Sónia P. Gonçalves, Joana Vieira dos Santos, Isabel S. Silva, Ana Veloso, Catarina Brandão and Rita Moura
Adm. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci11030069 - 9 Jul 2021
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 10305
Abstract
COVID-19 has brought an unexpected need for change within organizations, particularly regarding human resource management. The nature of this global crisis has meant that these processes remain under-systematized. The aim of this study, which uses an exploratory design and mixed-methods analysis, is to [...] Read more.
COVID-19 has brought an unexpected need for change within organizations, particularly regarding human resource management. The nature of this global crisis has meant that these processes remain under-systematized. The aim of this study, which uses an exploratory design and mixed-methods analysis, is to contribute to describing the changes in human resource management practices and processes that resulted from this pandemic and to present the outlook of human resource managers for the future. One hundred and thirty-six Portuguese companies participated in the study, with the answers provided by their human resource managers. Results show that the main changes have occurred in the processes of work and safety, training, work organization, recruitment and selection, induction and onboarding, and communication. The profiles that emerged showed an association between the level of change and size of the organization. There was an increase in the use of teleworking and layoffs, and a positive assessment of the organizations’ level of preparation and adaptation to this crisis. Human resource managers reported that the most evident changes in the future will be associated with the use of technology, teleworking, and work organization. These findings are of the upmost importance, as human resource managers are essential pillars in the adjustment of the organizations to this pandemic situation. Full article
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