Tautz, Dorothee

This article in the journal "Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation." investigates whether the quantity and quality of communication between employees and their leaders are related to their leaders’ StaffCare. StaffCare, a key component of the Health-oriented Leadership concept, reflects leaders’ commitment to promoting health and their awareness of employees’ needs. Previous studies have mainly focused on several job demands and resources that may influence leaders’ StaffCare, while the role of communication between leaders and followers has received less attention. This study examines communication factors on a dyadic level. Study 1 was designed as a two-wave study with two measurement points two months apart. The online survey was conducted across various industries and companies in Germany. Hierarchical regression analyses of N = 320 employees show that frequency, communication barriers, and general informal communication are significant predictors of StaffCare. Study 2 was designed as a cross-sectional online survey conducted within an international pharmaceutical company in Germany. It examines informal communication, particularly SmallTalk and DeepTalk, as well as factors such as relationship tenure and stigma toward mental health, defined as negative attitudes and reactions towards psychological strain or illness. For this analysis, only non-leadership employees were considered (N = 199). Results confirm that both SmallTalk and DeepTalk have a significant influence on leaders’ StaffCare. Relationship tenure moderates the relationship, with long-term employees benefiting more from high-quality interactions. Perceived stigma toward mental health is negatively associated with StaffCare; however, the expected interaction effect with DeepTalk was not significant. This study extends the field of Health-oriented Leadership by identifying new antecedents of StaffCare. The findings underscore the importance of reducing workplace stigma toward mental health to create a health-supportive environment and suggest that leaders encourage both casual and in-depth conversations with employees. Additionally, leadership communication strategies should consider employees’ relationship tenure, as long-term employees gain more from these high-quality interactions.

The rapid evolution of remote and hybrid work arrangements has fundamentally reshaped leadership dynamics, presenting novel challenges and opportunities. As "new ways of working" increasingly become the norm, their impact on our professional lives promises to be long-lasting. This study delves into several critical areas centring around good leadership practices in increasingly digitalized and virtual settings: 1) the applicability of transformational and health-oriented leadership styles in remote and hybrid settings; 2) the impact of effective leadership on employee outcomes; 3) the dependency of leadership effectiveness in remote and hybrid environments on specific working conditions; 4) the benefits that leaders derive from employing healthy leadership styles; and lastly, 5) the distinctive challenges leaders face when managing teams remotely versus in traditional office settings. Our findings are drawn from data collected from two samples throughout Germany and across all sectors. Sample 1 consisted 1318 leaders 2180 employees surveyed in April 2021, sample 2 were 907 leaders and 2124 employees surveyed in September 2022. In our discussion, we outline practical implications for leaders and HR professionals, spotlighting strategies for integrating effective leadership practices within remote and hybrid work frameworks. This study not only highlights the evolving nature of leadership in the digital age but also offers insights into fostering a productive and supportive work environment, irrespective of the physical workspace.

Research shows positive effects of Health-oriented Leadership (HoL) on followers' health. However, irritation elicited by ICT hassles may reduce leaders' capacity to engage in staff care. This study examines whether ICT hassles are associated with staff care (i.e., health-promoting follower-directed leadership) via irritation and whether particularly those engaging in self-care suffer more or less from ICT demands. A moderated mediation model was tested at three measurement points (N = 582 leaders). As expected, results show more irritation for leaders with more ICT hassles which is further associated with less staff care. Moreover, the positive relationship between ICT hassles and irritation was stronger for leaders displaying high self-care. In the same vein, the negative relationship between irritation and staff care was stronger for leaders engaging in self-care. Findings provide the first evidence that ICT hassles are negatively related to staff care via leaders' irritation. Leaders who engage in self-care show less irritation and higher staff care but suffer more from ICT demands. To promote leaders' health and staff care in digital working contexts, organizations should provide reliable IT equipment and technical support. The study ties in with research on digital leadership and its antecedents and offers a new view on the interplay of demands and resources.

In den vergangenen Jahren sind flexible Arbeitsmodelle und Homeoffice-Möglichkeiten vermehrt in den Vordergrund gerückt. Besonders durch die Corona-Pandemie ist der Anteil an im Homeoffice arbeitenden Beschäftigten stark angestiegen. Homeoffice wird auch in Zukunft ein zentraler Bestandteil der Arbeitswelt sein. Jedoch bringt die Arbeit im Homeoffice auch Herausforderungen mit sich. Vor allem für Führungskräfte stellt sich die Frage, wie sie auch über die Distanz einen positiven Einfluss auf ihre Mitarbeitenden nehmen können. Auf Grundlage von Studien aus dem traditionellen Bürokontext und aktuellen Studien zur Führung im digitalen Kontext werden in diesem Beitrag erste Antworten auf diese Frage gegeben und untersucht, wie sich 1) das Ausmaß und 2) die Effektivität von gesundheitsorientierter und transformationaler Führung im digitalen Kontext verändern. Die Befunde aktueller Studien zeigen zudem, dass digitale Führung mit spezifischen Herausforderungen für Führungskräfte einhergeht durch, z. B. limitierte Kommunikationsmöglichkeiten oder auch technische Herausforderungen. Gleichzeitig zeigen diese Studien aber auch, dass Führungskräfte auch im Homeoffice einen positiven Einfluss auf ihre Mitarbeitenden nehmen können. Dies kann durch die systematische Nutzung von Onlinetools und Förderung der Kommunikation unterstützt werden. Vor diesem Hintergrund werden erste Hinweise darauf gegeben, wie Führungskräfte mit den Herausforderungen im digitalen Kontext umgehen können, um weiterhin einen positiven Einfluss auf ihre Mitarbeitenden zu nehmen.

The Covid-19 crisis forced many employees to abruptly relocate their workplace from the office to their homes. As working from home is expected to remain part of our working world, consequences for leadership need to be examined. Our study aims to investigate the concrete challenges regarding the feasibility of transformational leadership and health-oriented leadership in this remote setting. Therefore, we collected quantitative and qualitative data of 23 leaders and 18 employees from various organizations in Germany. Both groups were asked to report their experiences during working from home in comparison to the traditional office setting. Findings of our study provide a comprehensive understanding regarding the underlying mechanism that impede transformational and health-oriented leadership in the remote setting. Among them participants reported a lack of social presence, limited informal chats, communication difficulties and lack of mutual trust. Based on our findings we derive practical implications for leaders and HR practitioners.