Dialectical tensions for remote employees: how autonomy, information, and connection shape remote LMX and resistance to change

Purpose This paper explores how remote Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) quality impacts employees’ openness to change; it also describes how remote employees perceive and describe high-quality LMX, especially as it relates to organizational change. Design/methodology/approach An interpretative phenomenological analysis was conducted using semi-structured interviews with remote employees across multiple industries and countries, exploring their lived experiences of relationships with supervisors, particularly in times of organizational change. Findings Analysis highlighted a core dialectical tension for remote employees: they valued transparent communication and information, yet simultaneously valued autonomy. High-quality remote LMX, perceived through autonomy, information, and connection, supports the idea that remote LMX quality impacts resistance to organizational change. Research limitations/implications Findings are based on a small, purposive sample of eight remote professionals and are not statistically generalizable, but they offer transferable insights and perspectives into the lived experiences of remote workers – all of which can serve as a conceptual basis for future comparative studies across cultures, sectors, and hybrid versus fully remote arrangements. Practical implications For change leaders, the results highlight the need to intentionally design remote relationships that balance negotiated autonomy with proactive information sharing, emphasizing connection points for increased LMX quality to better support employees’ perception of and navigation through change efforts. Originality/value This study extends research focused on LMX and resistance to change by situating both in remote contexts; beyond context, it conceptualizes remote LMX as constituted through a dialectical tension, showing how information transparency, intentional connection, and perceived autonomy are key mechanisms through which remote LMX quality influences remote employees’ openness to change.