"Det är svårt att leda på en skärm" : En kvalitativ studie om upplevelsen av att leda sina medarbetare på distans

Leading or working remotely is something that most people have experienced during Covid- 19. World managers face one of their biggest challenge when it comes to leading their employees remotely. The purpose of this study has been to create a deeper understanding of the management's experience of leading at distance during Covid-19. To fulfill the purpose, two questions have been formulated: "what opportunities and limitations are there with leadership at distance?" and "how is the interaction between management and employees described?". The study is based on a qualitative method where seven semi-structured interviews have been conducted with leaders within the chosen organization. The collected empirical data has been analyzed on the basis of the theoretical framework that consisted of theory of distance leadership, situational leadership and interaction between managers and employees. The study’s results show that distance leadership has brought opportunities such as a more attendant leader and new ways of working have been added. Limitations that distance leadership has entailed are a limited access to digital tools and information as well as a restriction on conducting difficult conversations. The results indicate that a trust-based and situational leadership is favorable for leading at distance. Finally, the results show that the interaction between the managers and the employees has been a challenge for the managers to maintain at the same level as if the interaction had been taken place physically. Different working methods have been developed for the organization to have a well-functioning interaction at a distance and this is something that the organization should continue to develop for future distance work