Transitioning From Onsite to Distance Management: The Impact of Remote Work on Managerial Practices and Well-being

Changes and transitions are an inevitable part of the dynamic organizational life, and they are vital for organizations to adapt to external and internal influences and remain competitive. These influences are likely to alter the traditional practices in organizations, requiring a new normal in terms of organizational thinking, strategy, and management practices. Both management and leadership are essential in organizational changes, and changes and transitions in organizations affect all levels of management. However, management and leadership practices and managers’ well-being within transitions are underexplored. Especially they are underexplored in the context of emergent organizational changes, which unlike planned changes are unpredictable and typically unintentional, such as the change initiated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 and subsequent global lockdowns initiated a sudden change for organizations shifting millions of workers to adapting to working and managing remotely from home. Consequently, managers were faced with the task to manage and lead their teams from a distance, heavily relying on information and communication technologies to facilitate collaboration and coordination.

Prior literature has extensively studied remote work and distance management delving into essential components such as necessary requirements, obstacles, benefits, and ways to ensure its effectiveness. However, research has not yet explored a shift from onsite management to distance management, with a focus on how it affects managerial practices and the well-being of managers during the transition. The aim of this Ph.D. research is to enhance the understanding of the experiences of lower-level management (i.e., first-line and second-line management) during the transition from onsite to distance management in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This Ph.D. research adopts a qualitative approach. To reach the research aim, this Ph.D. thesis includes four papers with different aims and research questions, which cover different aspects of the managerial transition from onsite management to distance management while maintaining a focus on managerial practices and well-being. The thesis includes a conceptual paper and three empirical papers. The three empirical papers combine inductive and abductive research approaches. The empirical work of this Ph.D. research rests on an in-depth longitudinal study within a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark. The collected data include semi-structured interview data and field notes. The data analysis was performed through a systematic analysis including first cycle analysis, data structure development, and temporal bracketing strategy supported by the qualitative data analysis software Atlas.ti

Overall, this Ph.D. research contributes to theory and practice in several ways. The Ph.D. thesis comprises empirical research based on a ten-wave longitudinal study that explores the perceptions and experiences of lower-level management during their transition to distance management amidst COVID-19. By tracing the changing patterns and developments of managers experiences of shifting to distance management in real-time instead of relying on retrospective accounts, this study provides a significant contribution to the growing body of research on management and leadership during the pandemic. The contribution of this Ph.D. research is that it challenges the understanding that information and communication technology use is the sole cause of the challenges and stress associated with distance management. Instead, this study highlights that the transition itself, and the demands it brings, plays a significant role. By making this distinction, this research offers a more nuanced perspective on the challenges of distance management and provides insight into how organizations can better prepare and manage transitions. Additionally, this research contributes to the discussion on the causes of work intensification and extensification of managerial work and their effects on managers’ well-being throughout the transition.