Inclusive Leadership in Virtual and/or Hybrid Teams : An Investigation of how Global Companies Practice Inclusive Leadership in Virtual and/or Hybrid Teams Post COVID-19 Restrictions

Sammanfattning: In the light of the Global Era, post COVID-19 restrictions, companies have started to operate their businesses in virtual or hybrid workplaces. In the context of disruptive times, the importance of inclusive behavior in work environments has been denoted. Thus, this thesis aims to investigate if and how global companies and their leaders practice inclusive leadership in virtual and/or hybrid teams. Specifically, this concerns investigating the perceptions of individual employees and leaders of their respective companies’ inclusive behavior in virtual and/or hybrid work environments. In order to assess the different perspectives of employees and leaders, qualitative interviews were conducted. In addition, primary data was complemented with an investigation of official public company information regarding their work with inclusion. Empirical data was analyzed based on an adaptation of a theoretical model of inclusive leadership with the aim to identify and analyze different themes related to inclusive leadership as well as potential emerging themes. The findings indicate that global companies studied within the scope of this research practice inclusive leadership working in virtual and/or hybrid work environments. Twelve themes emerge as factors and behaviors of leadership, at global companies and their leaders, that facilitate an inclusive environment in hybrid and virtual settings.