Research project Leading by Algorithm: Reconfiguring the Nature of Leadership in Digitalized Work Environments

Our aim is to gain insights into how data-driven analytics are transforming the nature and scope of leadership in digitalized work environments.

The project addresses two main questions:

1) How is the task of leadership transformed by algorithms?

2) How is the leader-follower relationship impacted by digital leadership tools?

These questions are relevant for two reasons. First, algorithms are shaping leadership tasks such as strategic planning and employee motivation, so it is crucial to understand how managers make sense of and interact with these new technologies. Second, data-driven analytics are becoming increasingly prevalent in workplace settings, so it is important to examine the opportunities and challenges faced by organizations in which soft leadership skills are becoming digitally mediated.

The data collection process is based on a qualitative methodology, drawing on semi-structured interviews with senior executives and HR managers; employees who use digital leadership tools; and developers who design digital leadership tools.