Leadership styles in the context of effective management of virtual teams

. In connection with the development of digital technologies, as well as the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, many organizations faced the problem of transitioning to a virtual work format. A large number of teams suddenly had to work not physically, but in a digital environment. However, the transition to virtual teamwork is a challenge not only for the team, but also for the management of virtual teams. Despite the importance of the issue of virtual leadership in the modern aspect, there is still a lack of research on leadership specifically among virtual teams. In this study, the main advantages and disadvantages of the transition to remote work were determined, and it was found that one of the potential bottlenecks of the work of virtual teams is the need to transform the management system and leadership styles in accordance with the needs of personnel in the new reality. Based on existing research, the key factors that influence the choice of leadership style in virtual teams are grouped, with the factors divided into four subsystems (leader personality, team member personalities, tasks/projects, external environment) and further detailed as triggers to be identified individually in each organization. According to the most popular leadership styles in scientific and business literature, the advantages and possibilities of using each style in the context of managing virtual teams are determined. Therefore, the authoritarian style of leadership in most cases, except for situations where the risk factor and the need to make quick decisions are extremely important, is ineffective in managing virtual projects and teams. In addition, the transformational style of leadership, which is recognized by many researchers as the most acceptable against the background of digitalization of work processes, from our point of view does not meet all the challenges that may arise. Therefore, the situational style of leadership in cases of managing virtual teams provides a sufficient level of flexibility and meets the modern needs of managers and staff. Thus, our work is a starting point for a structured study of the mechanisms of implementing a situational type of leadership in virtual teams