THROUGH SELF-LEADERSHIP AND FOLLOWERSHIP TO SHARED LEADERSHIP: A PARADIGM FOR EFFECTIVE VIRTUAL TEAMWORKING

Abstract

Leadership and followership are key to fi rm performance, so it is important to understand them and fi nd the op ti mal leader–follower interac ti on to be implemented in an organiza ti on. Understanding these concepts is important, because they help increase the company’s produc ti vity and success in achieving its goals. This paper explores the connec ti on among shared leadership, self ‐ leadership, and followership, and argues that their prac ti ce is crucial for virtual teams’ success. The theore ti cal framework presented is supported by prac ti cal study cases of EY Slovenia, Haier, Soldev, and Hershey. The proposi ti ons, derived from the case studies, are related to two topics. The fi rst proposi ti on concerns how self ‐ leadership is assumed by one who prac ti ces e ff ec ti ve followership, and the second proposi ti on concerns how shared leadership styles posi ti vely in fl uence the building of trust and fostering of a sense of ownership of employees. With this theory, organiza ti ons can navigate the challenges of the modern workplace, and consequently improve their performance, produc ti vity, and job sa ti sfac ti on. Furthermore, we present a model that shows the in fl uence of self ‐ leadership on e ff ec ti ve followership, and emphasizes the bene fi ts of implemen ti ng shared leadership styles, especially in digital work, and we discuss the impact of self ‐ leadership, self ‐ awareness, and self ‐ e ffi cacy on the implementa ti on of shared leadership within an organiza ti on that operates virtually.