How Complementary Transformational Leadership Dimensions Facilitate Opportunities for Employees’ Informal Learning in Technology-Enabled Remote Work Environments: A Three-Wave Study

The rise of technology-enabled remote work environments has raised important questions about how to sustain employees’ informal learning activities, as these contexts often restrict interactions among coworkers and supervisors. Informal learning, which encompasses task-related learning (i.e., learning through reflection and experimentation) and interactional learning (i.e., learning from colleagues and supervisor), is crucial for adapting to dynamic work environments. While transformational leadership (TFL) is known to foster informal learning in traditional settings, its effectiveness in technology-enabled remote work environments remains unclear. Drawing on the Antecedents–Processes–Outcomes (APO) framework of informal learning, this multi-wave study (n = 1556) investigates the effects of two complementary TFL dimensions—intellectual stimulation and supportive leadership—on task-related and interactional learning in technology-enabled remote work environments, and examines whether these learning activities enhance employee performance. Using structural equation modeling, the results show that intellectual stimulation supports both task-related and interactional learning by promoting learning through reflection and experimentation as well as learning from supervisor, whereas supportive leadership is primarily associated with learning from supervisor and learning through experimentation. Contrary to expectations, no significant moderating effects of the degree of technology-enabled remote working were observed, indicating that the effects of TFL remain consistent across different work settings. Moreover, the findings emphasize the importance of employees’ engagement in informal learning processes, particularly learning from supervisor, in enhancing performance. The study advances the APO framework by identifying specific leadership behaviors as key antecedents and testing their relevance in technology-enabled remote work environments. Practically, the findings suggest that leaders can facilitate informal learning and performance regardless of physical proximity by creating cognitively challenging and socially supportive conditions for informal learning.