Ó b3s84c How to lead in business In groups, talk about what it takes to be successful in today’s often virtual business environment. Consider these issues: 1 Which character traits are useful for success? 2 Do you need different skills depending on whether you work online? 3 Are people born to be good leaders? Why? / Why not? Read the article below about what makes successful entrepreneurs. Circle the correct options. 1 Traditionally, in-person leaders have shown an extrovert / organised character. 2 The study in the Journal of Business and Psychology focused on an emergent / excellent type of leader. 3 We are more easily influenced by someone’s personality in virtual settings / face-to-face interactions . Reading 1 a b The surprising traits of good remote leaders A recent study has shown that the confidence, intelligence and extroversion that have long moved ambitious workers into the executive suite are not enough online because they simply do not translate into virtual leadership. Instead, workers who are organised, dependable and productive take the lead in virtual teams. Finally, doers lead the pack – at least remotely. The study shows that, instead of those with the most dynamic voices in the room, virtual teams informally choose leaders who actually do the work of getting projects done. “They are the individuals who help other team members with tasks, and keep the team on schedule and focused on goals,” says Radostina Purvanova, lead author of the study. Hard workers may feel validated and even relieved with this new development after having watched charming colleagues rise to the top for so long. The study, published in the Journal of Business and Psychology, tracked 220 US-based teams to see which team members emerged as leaders across in-person, virtual and hybrid groups. The researchers conducted a series of in-lab experiments with 86 four-person teams and also looked at the communications and experiences of 134 teams doing a semester-long project in a university class. The study focused on emergent leaders, i.e. those perceived as leaders and whose influence is willingly accepted. As expected, the face-to-face teams chose leaders with the same confident, magnetic, smart-seeming extrovert traits that we often see in organisational leaders. However, those chosen as remote leaders were doers, who tended towards planning, connecting teammates with help and resources, keeping an eye on upcoming tasks and, most importantly, getting things done. These leaders were goalfocused, productive, dependable and helpful. “In face-to-face interactions, most of us are very easily swayed by the power of personality,” says Purvanova. “Virtually, we are less swayed by someone’s personality and can more accurately assess whether or not they are actually engaging in important leadership behaviours. People are more likely to be seen based on what they actually do, not based on who they are.” Why is there such a difference between the behaviours of in-person and remote leaders? To a certain degree, this results from how people go about building trust in their leaders, 32 3 Unit Success in today’s business world write a memo make and justify recommendations propose a venue for an event plan a virtual event Goals talk about leadership qualities write a letter to the editor give advice about an interest or an occupation talk about statistics carry out a survey and write a report Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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