An Examination of the Different Leadership Styles Employed by Leaders of High-Performance Employees Based Upon Individual Work Setting Arrangements

This article seeks to explore the different management styles employed by leaders of individuals working in a variety of work settings: Fully remote, mostly remote, equally balanced, mostly in-person, and fully in-person. 192 men and women who work in these settings were asked to indicate how often each of their managers engages in the 34 behaviors listed in the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) that operationalize Transformational, Transactional, and Laissez-faire leadership. The respondents’ work motivation profile fits the description of a person who has High Growth Need Strength (HGNS), and the results indicate a stark difference in relationships between leaders and their direct reports based upon their individual work arrangement, with fully remote employees reporting a greater connection with their supervisor than fully in-person employees.