E-leadership and adaptation to technological development of telecommunication businesses in Ghana

https://doi.org/10.35912/amor.v3i4.1464
Published: Apr 3, 2023

Abstract:

Purpose: The study examined the role of e-leadership in adapting to technological development.

Research methodology: A mixed methods triangulation approach was used for the study. Quantitative data was collected from 297 customers and 146 employees of telecommunication companies in Ghana using a questionnaire. For qualitative data, 12 respondents were interviewed. Quantitative data were analyzed with descriptive statistics for IBM SPSS Statistics 24. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis.

Results: It was found that e-leadership discourages face-to-face interactions. Leaders tend to employ the use of social media when communicating with team members during rapid technological development. Virtual teams are employed while completing projects. Managers show empathy, provide effective supervision and are always available online to assist virtual team members who happen to encounter challenges, in a timely manner.

Limitations: This study was limited to employees and customers of telecommunication companies in Ghana.

Contribution: This research has exposed that E-leadership positively affects the productivity of virtual team members, who tend to face challenges during technological advancement. This implies that with e-leadership, the level of difficulty faced while adapting to rapid technological development is significantly reduced.

Novelty: There is a need for managers to be consistent with the application of the e-leadership concept no matter how sophisticated technology gets. It is therefore recommended that managers continue with the use of e-leadership while providing guidance for challenged virtual team members.

Keywords:
1. E-leadership
2. technology
3. technological development
4. telecommunication
5. management
Authors:
1 . Anita Bans-Akutey
BlueCrest University College, Kokomlemle, Accra, Ghana
2 . Deborah Ebem
School of Doctoral Studies, Unicaf University, Zambia
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5857-8169
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How to Cite
Bans-Akutey, A., & Ebem, D. (2023). E-leadership and adaptation to technological development of telecommunication businesses in Ghana. Annals of Management and Organization Research, 3(4), 259–269. https://doi.org/10.35912/amor.v3i4.1464
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Issue & Section
Vol. 3 No. 4 (2022): May
Articles
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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  7. Bans-Akutey, A. (2020). DIFFERENTIATING MICROMANAGEMENT FROM EFFECTIVE MANAGE-MENT: AMANAGER’S GUIDE. GSJ, 8(11).
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  9. Bans-Akutey, A. (2022). The Influence of Technological Development on Organizational Productivity. International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), 11(5), 1641-1648.
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  11. Bans-Akutey, A., & Tiimub, B. (2021). Identifying Research Gaps in Schorlarly Work-A Review. Academia Letters, 2.
  12. Bans-Akutey, A., & Tiimub, B. M. (2021). Triangulation in research. Academia Letters, 2.
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  16. Cochran, W. G. (1977). Sampling techniques: John Wiley & Sons.
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  35. Lekwauwa, N., & Bans-Akutey, A. (2022). Commercial banks’ profitability and portfolio management in Ghana. Annals of Management and Organization Research, 3(4), 245-257.
  36. Lilian, S. C. (2014). Virtual teams: Opportunities and challenges for e-leaders. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 110, 1251-1261.
  37. Liu, C., Ready, D., Roman, A., Van Wart, M., Wang, X., McCarthy, A., & Kim, S. (2018). E-leadership: an empirical study of organizational leaders’ virtual communication adoption. Leadership & Organization Development Journal.
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  44. Olusola, A., Usman, O., Aina-David, O., & Yinus, S. (2013). An appraisal of the impact of information technology (IT) on Nigeria small and medium enterprises (SMEs) performance. International Journal of Academic Research in Management (IJARM) Vol, 2, 140-152.
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  47. Saha, N., Gregar, A., & Saha, P. (2017). Organizational agility and KM strategy: Are they effective tools for achieving sustainable organizational excellence. New Trends and Issues Proceedings on Humanities and Social Sciences, 4(10), 110-117.
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  51. Torre, T., & Sarti, D. (2020). The “way” toward e-leadership: Some evidence from the field. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 554253.
  52. Van Wart, M., Roman, A., Wang, X., & Liu, C. (2017). Integrating ICT adoption issues into (e-) leadership theory. Telematics and Informatics, 34(5), 527-537.
  53. Viguerie, P., Cowan, K., & Hindo, B. (2017). The Future of Telecom: A Dual Transformation. Retrieved from Innosight: https://www.innosight.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/The-Future-Of-Telecom.pdf
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  56. Yin, J. Z. (1992). Technological capabilities as determinants of the success of technology transfer projects. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 42(1), 17-29.
  57. Zervas, C., & David, L. (2013). Leadership Style: Is there “one Best”, or is Flexibility worth developing. Online: http://www. leadershipadvantage. com/leadership. html). Retrieved May, 27, 2013.
  58. Zhu, W., Chew, I. K., & Spangler, W. D. (2005). CEO transformational leadership and organizational outcomes: The mediating role of human–capital-enhancing human resource management. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(1), 39-52.
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