Operationalizing the definition of e-leadership: identifying the elements of e-leadership

The effects of the ongoing digital revolution have been profound and have been studied in many contexts such as government interaction with the public (e-participation) and administrative structures (e-administration). However, the study of how the digital revolution has changed leaders’ interactions with followers via information and communication technologies (ICTs) has been modest, and the theory building in organizational studies and public administration has been, for the most part, nonexistent. A major reason for this lack of progress is the inability to produce an operational definition of e-leadership that spans telework, team, and enterprise settings. The article examines an exploratory case study to propose an operational definition based on six factors (or broad e-competencies) for e-leadership. Research limitations and future research opportunities are discussed. Points for practitioners E-leadership, technology-mediated leadership, has become critically important for leaders at all levels, both inside and outside of the organization. E-leadership is as much about blending technologies and traditional communication as it is about simply using more ICT-mediated communication. While there is a lot of consistency in the types of leadership skills needed in traditional and virtual environments, they are not the same and the differences are critical to success and failure. The areas in which competence in e-skills were most important included: e-communication, e-social skills, e-team building, e-change management, e-technology skills, and e-trustworthiness.