Date of Award

3-2002

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Leadership (MAL)

Department

Leadership

Abstract

This study examines the leadership effectiveness of technology-based companies and their respective virtual field service organizations. Specifically, this research surveyed four service-based organizations whose managers were responsible for both local and remote field-engineering personnel. Local engineers are defined as residing in the same office or city location with their manager, and remote engineers are defined as residing in a different office and city location from their manager. Each participating service organization's personnel, made up of managers and engineers, participated through an anonymous survey response.

The survey collected information about each participant's belief of how effective their organization's leaders managed their respective virtual environment. The first set of questions established a baseline about each organization's current virtual environment. The second set of questions collected the organization's future virtual environment needs. Both the current and future set of questions collected feedback about each company's virtual environment by: organization, communication, teamwork, and leadership categories. Survey results were tabulated by each participating company and collectively averaged for comparative purposes. Results show that current service organizations have effective virtual environments, but indicators identify specific future areas that leaders should assess, consider, and anticipate for their evolving virtual environment. This study provides an initial research reference point by assessing leadership effectiveness in virtual service-based organizations.

Identifier

SC 11.MAL.2002.Price.C

Comments

Previous ID: SC 11.MAL.2001.Price.C.B

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