Evaluating the effects of remote leadership  approaches on individual outcomes in  Türkiye’s digital creative workplaces

Dalya Allababidi; Aylin Erdoğdu

doi:10.47243/jos.2825

Authors

Dalya Allababidi Istanbul Arel University / Türkiye 0009-0004-0599-3694
Aylin Erdoğdu Istanbul Arel University / Türkiye 0009-0004-2565-4542

10.47243/jos.2825

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to examine the impact of remote leadership styles on individual performance in Türkiye’s digital marketing sector. With remote work becoming a long-term trend, the study focuses on how various leadership approaches affect employee engagement, productivity, satisfaction, and commitment in virtual work environments. Materials and Methods: A quantitative research design was adopted. Data were collected through structured surveys administered to 500 employees working remotely in digital marketing roles across Türkiye. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participant demographics and performance trends, while correlation analyses were conducted using SPSS and Microsoft Excel to explore the relationships between transformational, transactional, and servant leadership styles and individual performance outcomes. Result: Transactional leadership emerged as the most commonly observed style; however, transformational and servant leadership were found to have stronger positive associations with individual performance. Transformational leadership showed the highest correlation with employee engagement and perceived performance, while servant leadership was most closely linked to job satisfaction and team commitment. In contrast, transactional leadership was mainly associated with task completion and had limited influence on emotional or motivational performance aspects. Discussion and Conclusion: The findings suggest that leadership styles emphasizing vision, empathy, motivation, and personal development are more effective in remote work settings than those focused solely on control and task management. A blended leadership model integrating transformational, servant, and transactional elements is recommended. Additionally, training in emotional intelligence, inclusive communication, and virtual feedback is advised. The study offers valuable insights for organizations seeking to enhance employee performance in Türkiye’s evolving digital marketing industry.

Keywords:

Remote Leadership Digital Marketing Transformational Leadership Employee Engagement Job Performance

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

ATIK, S. (2021). Dev şirketler kalıcı uzaktan çalışmaya hazırlanıyor. Ekonomist, 21 March–3 April. https://www.ekonomist.com.tr/arastirmalar/devler-kalici-uzaktan-calismaya-hazirlaniyor.html [Accessed: 18/04/2025].

AVOLIO, B. J., & KAHAI, S. S. (2002). Adding the “E” to E-Leadership: How it may impact your leadership. Organizational Dynamics, 31(4), 325–338. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0090-2616(02)00133-X

AVOLIO, B. J., KAHAI, S. S., & DODGE, G. E. (2000). E-leadership: Implications for theory, research, and practice. The Leadership Quarterly, 11(4), 615–668.

AVOLIO, B. J., SOSIK, J. J., KAHAI, S. S., & BAKER, B. (2014). E-leadership: Re-examining transformations in leadership source and transmission. The Leadership Quarterly, 25(1), 105–131.

BANA, S. H., BENZELL, G. S., & SOLARES, R. R. (2020). Ranking how national economies adapt to remote work. MIT Sloan Management Review, 61(4), 1–5.

BASS, B. M. (1999). Two decades of research and development in transformational leadership. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 8(1), 9–32.

BELL, B. S., MCALPINE, K. L., & HILL, N. S. (2019). Leading from a distance: Advancements in virtual leadership research. in The Cambridge Handbook of Technology and Employee Behavior. Ed: R. N. Landers. pp. 387–418, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

BLOOM, N. (2014). To raise productivity, let more employees work from home. Harvard Business Review, 92(1/2), 28–29.

CASCIO, W. F. (2000). Managing a virtual workplace. Academy of Management Executive, 14(3), 81–90.

CAULAT, G. (2010). Virtual leadership: On becoming a real leader. Doctoral Dissertation, Middlesex University.

CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT. (2022). An update on flexible and hybrid working practices (Report No. 8231). London: Royal Charter.

COWAN, L. D. (2014). E-leadership: Leading in a virtual environment—Guiding principles for nurse leaders. Nursing Economics, 32, 312–319.

DELOITTE. (2020). İşin geleceği: Uzaktan çalışma sisteminde organizasyonel dayanıklılığı korumak [online]. Deloitte Turkey. https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/tr/Documents/human%20capital/isingelecegi-uzaktan-calisma-sisteminde-organizasyonel-dayanikliligi-korumak.pdf [Accessed: 18/04/2025].

GREGORY, R., & MUNTERMANN, J. (2011). Theorizing in design science research: Inductive versus deductive approaches. Information Systems Research. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2014.0533

GUI, C., ZHANG, P., ZOU, R., & OUYANG, X. (2021). Servant leadership in hospitality: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 30(4), 438–458.

GUPTA, M., & SINGH, S. K. (2020). Transactional leadership in remote settings: Impact on productivity and turnover. International Journal of Business Management and Economic Research, 11(4), 1348–1356.

HARTER, J. K., SCHMIDT, F. L., & HAYES, T. L. (2002). Business-unit-level relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcomes: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(2), 268–279.

HR.COM. (2019). The state of employee engagement in 2019. HR Research Institute.

KELLEY, E. L., & KELLOWAY, E. K. (2012). Transformational leadership and employee engagement. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 33(3), 287–306.

KHALID, U., MUSHTAQ, R., KHAN, A. Z., & MAHMOOD, F. (2021). Probing the impact of transformational leadership on job embeddedness: The moderating role of job characteristics. Management Research Review, 44(8), 1139–1156.

KNIFFIN, K. M., et al. (2021). COVID-19 and the workplace: Implications, issues, and insights for future research and action. American Psychologist, 76(1), 63–77.

LEONARDI, P. M. (2020). COVID-19 and the new technologies of organizing: Digital exhaust, digital footprints, and artificial intelligence in the wake of remote work. Journal of Management Studies, 58(1), 247–251.

LIAO, C. (2017). Leadership in virtual teams: A multilevel perspective. Human Resource Management Review, 27(4), 648–659.

MAK, S., & KOZLOWSKI, S. W. J. (2019). Virtual teams: Conceptualization, integrative review, and research recommendations. in The Cambridge Handbook of Technology and Employee Behavior. Ed: R. N. Landers. pp. 441–479, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

MASUDA, A. D., HOLTSCHLAG, C., & GOH, A. (2017). The job demands-resources model: A study of the relationship between work-to-family conflict and employee engagement. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(2), 154–168.

NEUBERT, M. J., WU, C., & SELART, M. (2022). Servant leadership and innovation in remote teams: The role of employee engagement. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 29(1), 88–103.

ÖZCAN BICICI, D., & ÖZÇELIK, A. O. (2023). Do employees in Turkey intend to telework after the pandemic? Istanbul. https://doi.org/10.26650/ibr.2023.52.1146342 [Accessed: 18/04/2025].

PURVANOVA, R. K., & BONO, J. E. (2009). Transformational leadership in the context of the virtual team. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 30(1), 65–79.

PURVANOVA, R. K., & KENDA, R. (2018). Paradoxical virtual leadership: Reconsidering virtuality through a paradox lens. Group & Organization Management, 43(5), 752–786.

ROLAND. (2024). Navigating the future: 2023 digital marketing trends in outsourcing [online]. Staffing and Leasing. https://www.staffingandleasing.com/blog/navigating-the-future-2023-digital-marketing-trends-in-outsourcing/ [Accessed: 18/04/2025].

SAARI, L. M., & JUDGE, T. A. (2004). Employee attitudes and job satisfaction. Human Resource Management, 43(4), 395–407.

SAKS, A. M. (2006). Antecedents and consequences of employee engagement. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21(7), 600–619.

SEINKER, D. (2020). How to give workers the structure of office life while working remotely [online]. South African Food Review. https://www.b2bcentral.co.za/how-to-give-workers-the-structure-of-office-life-while-working-remotely [Accessed: 18/04/2025].

WANG, D., & HSU, Y. (2018). Transformational leadership, employee creativity, and innovative behavior in the workplace. Journal of Business Research, 85, 292–298.