Abstract

The global pandemic has profoundly transformed leadership and the work landscape across multimodal workplace environments (onsite, virtual, and hybrid). As organizations navigated unprecedented disruption, leaders had to respond with agility, empathy, and innovation. This qualitative, grounded theory study explored the transformative impact of post-pandemic changes on leadership practices within the evolving workplace landscape and future work trends. The overarching research question guiding this study was to what extent, if at all, leadership practices have evolved since the global pandemic across onsite, virtual, and hybrid workplace settings, and what skills, strategies, and practices will future leaders need to navigate the future of work? To address this question comprehensively, the study examined three sub-questions. It drew upon semi-structured interviews with 20 U.S.-based leaders representing diverse industries and leadership levels, all of whom held direct reports across multiple workplace modalities. Grounded theory methods were employed to code and analyze the data, yielding eight key findings that revealed substantial shifts in leadership behavior, mindset, and organizational priorities. Notably, the study found that inclusive and emotionally intelligent leadership practices are now essential to sustaining engagement and performance in hybrid and virtual work settings. The study highlights that although the pandemic served as a catalyst, its primary aim was to extract leadership lessons applicable to leading through future disruptions, workplace transformations, and emerging global trends. A central contribution of the study was the development of the PERFORM Leadership Framework, a future-oriented model grounded in people-first, ethical, resilient, flexible, organizationally aligned, relational, and mission-driven leadership practices. The framework was synthesized from empirical findings and foundational leadership theory, offering a research-based guide for navigating future workplace complexities. The findings offer important implications for leadership development, organizational strategy, workforce resiliency, and the cultivation of adaptive, human-centered leadership needed for the future of work. This research ultimately bridges leadership theory and practice, offering a comprehensive foundation for guiding leaders beyond crisis and into the opportunities of a dynamic and interconnected global environment.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Telecommuting—Management; Leadership—United States; Management—Social aspects; Organization change; Grounded theory

Date of Award

2025

School Affiliation

Graduate School of Education and Psychology

Department/Program

Education

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctorate

Faculty Advisor

Martine Jago

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