无界领导-在分布式工作时代驱动卓越绩效

LeadingfromAnywhere

DrivingResultsinthe

AgeofDistributedWork

EXECUTIVEBRIEF

InstituteforCorporateProductivity|

LeadingfromAnywhere:DrivingResultsintheAgeofDistributedWork|EXECUTIVEBRIEF

RobCross

EdwardA.MaddenProfessor

ofGlobalLeadership,BabsonCollegeSVPofResearch,i4cp

Distribution

extendsbeyondphysical

distance

toinclude

timezones,

capabilities,

organizationallines,andbothculturaland

societalvalues.

FOREWORD

Leadersarestruggling.

Asworkhasbecomemoredistributed,thevolumeandvelocityofdemands

ontheirtimehaveexploded.Andthenatureofthesedemandshasshifted

seismically.Someleadersaresuccessfulinthisneweraofwork,butmost,tobeblunt,aredrowningbothprofessionallyandpersonally.

Ihavehadtheprivilegeofanin-depthandsometimesrawviewintothese

challengesthroughhundredsofinterviewsI'veconductedduringmyyears

ofresearchonthistopic.ThestoriesIhearonrepeatareofwomenandmen

whoarehighlygiftedanddedicatedbutoverwhelmedwiththedemandsof

leadershiptoday.Deeplytroublingisthatmostseenowayout—conventional

ideasofdelegation,puttinghierarchyorprocessesintowork,ordeployinganewcollaborativetoolarenotsolvingproblemsandtoooftenmakingthingsworse.

Howhasthishappened?

Inthisreport,theInstituteforCorporateProductivity(i4cp)unpacksthemyriad

demandsoverwhelmingleadersasworkhasbecomefarmoredistributed.This

distributionisacrossphysicaldistance,ofcourse,butalsoacrosstime,capability,organizationallines,andbothculturalandsocietalvalues.

Thefracturingofworkalongsomanyfrontshascreatedarangeofchallenges

fortoday’sleadersthatnewtechnologiesorleadershipconceptsalonearen’t

solving.Toooften,thesetoolsrevealthenatureofleaders’problemsthroughthelensofthesolutionswehaveinhand—anewleadershipimperative,collaborativetechnology,oramandatesuchasreturntooffice.Andthisinevitablyresults

inactionsthatsolvesomeproblems,makesomeworse,andleaveanarrayofleaders’challengesunresolved.

Theresearchyouareabouttoreadfocusesontheday-to-dayrealityofleadersandthepracticesthathavethegreatestimpactonsuccessinleadingdistributedwork.SomeofthesepracticesareneworhavebecomemoreimportantwiththeriseofdistributedworkandtheadventofgenerativeAI.Others,suchascuratingtrust,havebeenimportantforsometime,butaredifferentinbothformandfocustoday.Throughout,weemphasizethenuanceinwhatdistinguishessuccessfulleadersfromthosewhoarestrugglingandofferaprocesstoachievegreater

productivityandsustainability.

Fullreportavailableexclusivelytoi4cpmembers.Visitforadditionalinformation.

REPORT|LeadingfromAnywhere:DrivingResultsintheAgeofDistributedWork

INTRODUCTION

LeadersNeedLevers

TheSixCapabilitiesof

LeadershipEffectiveness

•Culture

•Structure

•Talentpractices

•Well-being

•Boundarymanagement

•Technology

Drawingondatai4cpcollectedfromaglobalsurveyofover800respondentsinearly2025andmorethan200executiveinterviewsconductedoverthepastseveralyears,thisreporthighlightshoweffectiveleadershipofdistributedworkiscontext-specific,notone-size-

fits-all.Italsorevealshowtargetedpractices—notjustbroadtraitsortrendyframeworks—differentiatehigh-performingleadersandorganizations.

Ourresearchidentifiedsixkeycapabilitiesthatenabletop-performingleaderstohelp

employeesthrive—spanningculture,structure,talentpractices,well-being,boundarymanagement,andtechnology.Eachcapabilityissupportedbyaseriesofpracticesthatleaderscanimmediatelydeploy.

Capabilitiesthatmostdistinguishhigh-performingleaders

85%

Culture

Structure

55%

Talentpractices

Well-being

Boundarymanagement

Technology

54%

36%

32%

24%

Datarepresentsthosefromorganizationsemploying>1,000people.

Source:LeadingfromAnywhere:DrivingResultsintheAgeofDistributedWork(2025),InstituteforCorporateProductivity(i4cp).

Fullreportavailableexclusivelytoi4cpmembers.Visitforadditionalinformation.

LeadingfromAnywhere:DrivingResultsintheAgeofDistributedWork|EXECUTIVEBRIEF

Inaddition,weintroducefourleadershiparchetypesthatillustratehowevenstrugglingleaderscansignificantlyboostperformancebyaddressingcommonderailersmost

associatedwitheach.

Ultimately,thisreporturgesHRleaderstorethinkhowleadershipissupported—notthroughisolatedprogramsorbluntmandates,butthroughtailored,team-enabled,andsustainableapproachesthatdistributeleadershipitself,notjustwork,acrossteams.

Leadingdistributedworkisagreaterchallengethanwerealize

Improvingleadershipeffectivenessisapressingneedforeveryorganizationworldwide.

Overhalf(58%)

ofthosei4cp

surveyedsaidthattheirleadersare

only“somewhat”effectivewhenitcomestoleadingdistributedwork.

Leadereffectivenessatmanagingdistributedwork

58%

5%

2%

60%

40%

20%

0%

19%

16%

Somewhateffective

VeryineffectiveSomewhatineffective

Don’tknow

Veryeffective

Datarepresentsthosefromorganizationsemploying>1,000people.

Source:LeadingfromAnywhere:DrivingResultsintheAgeofDistributedWork(2025),InstituteforCorporateProductivity(i4cp).

Howpressing?Overhalf(58%)ofthosei4cpsurveyedsaidthattheirleadersareonly

“somewhat”effectivewhenitcomestoleadingdistributedwork.Thisless-than-enthusiasticassessmentisalltoocommon;aHarrispollfoundthatover75%ofemployeesbelievethereisaleadershipcrisisincorporateAmerica(Davis,2023).

Simultaneously,leadershipburnoutisexplodingwithuntenableroledemandsandthe

pressuretoalwaysbe“on.”Onestudyof13,695leadersrevealedthataremarkable72%

felt“usedup”attheendofthedayandonly15%feltequippedtopreventburnoutontheir

teams(DDI,2023).Anotherstudyfoundthat30%ofemployeessaidtheirleadersweretoostressedtosupportthemintheirwork(Cromidas,2024).

Inthiscontext,it’snotsurprisingthatimprovingleadershipeffectivenessisaperennial

problem.Despiteacontinuousflowofnewideasandstrategieswiththepromiseofimprovingleadershipeffectiveness,wefaceapersistentleadershipcrisis.Somethingisclearlywrong.

Despitea

continuousflowofnewideas

andstrategies

withthepromiseofimproving

leadership

effectiveness,wefaceapersistentleadershipcrisis.

Fullreportavailableexclusivelytoi4cpmembers.Visitforadditionalinformation.

EXECUTIVEBRIEF|LeadingfromAnywhere:DrivingResultsintheAgeofDistributedWork

TheSixDimensionsofDistributedWork

•Physicaldistance

•Temporal(timezones)

•Capability/expertise

•Organizationallines

•Cultural(national®ional)

•Socioeconomic/generational

Somechallengesofdistributedworkarenew,others

arelongstanding.

Whileindividuallymanageable,

cumulativelytheycreateashockingamountofinvisibleworkfortoday’s

leaders.

Humanstendtoviewproblemsthroughthelensofsolutions,whichshapeswhatisdeemedimportant.Thiscanleadtoexcessivefocusonsolutionsratherthantheproblemitself,

resultinginsurprisewhenthosesolutionsdon’tproducethedesiredimpact.

Leadingdistributedworkisacaseinpoint:

•Someleadersmayfocussolelyongeographicdistance,butwhilephysical

distancehasincreased,it’snotnew—leadersinlargeorganizationshave

managedthisfordecades,althoughpost-pandemic,virtualandflexiblework

arrangementshaveaddedcomplexity.Moreimportantly,workisnowdistributedacrossmanyotherdimensions:timezones,capabilities,culturalvalues,

organizationallines,andbothsocioeconomicandgenerationaldivides—allofwhichposeuniquechallengestoleaders.

•Whendistributedworkisviewedonlyintermsofphysicaldistance,thenaturaldefaultistosolutionssuchascollaborativetechnologyorreturn-to-office

strategies.Whiletheseunidimensionalsolutionsaddresssomeissuesof

geographicdistribution,theyoftenoverlookbroaderproblemsandcancreateunintendedconsequencesthatworsenothers.

Somechallengesofdistributedworkarenew,othersarelongstanding.Whileindividuallymanageable,cumulativelytheycreateashockingamountofinvisibleworkfortoday’s

leaders.

Further,thepaceofworkhasaccelerated,causingdemandsonleadersofdistributedteamstomorethandoubleinashortspanoftime.Andifthiswerenotenough,leadersalsoface

relentlesspressuretoproducemorewithless—whilenavigatingthepushtoaggressivelyintegrateAI,particularlyAIagents,intoteamsandworkflows.

Fullreportavailableexclusivelytoi4cpmembers.Visit

foradditionalinformation.

LeadingfromAnywhere:DrivingResultsintheAgeofDistributedWork|EXECUTIVEBRIEF

It’snowonderwehavealeadershipcrisis.Andit’snowonderleadersareburningout.

Thesixcapabilitiesofleadershipeffectivenessidentifiedinthisresearchdistinguishtop-

quartileleadersindistributedworkandaresupportedbyaseriesofpracticesthatleaderscanimmediatelydeploy.

Importantly,successdoesn’trequireexcellenceacrossallsixcapabilities,rather,it’sfocusingonthespecificpracticesthatmattermostinagivencontext:

•Foroneleader,thismightmeanemphasizingcultureandwell-beingpractices,becauseastrongperformancepushisstartingtoerodeteamengagement.

•Foranother,itcouldinvolveadaptingstructureandtalentpracticestodrivescaleandefficiencyamidexpensereductions.

•Andforyetanother,itmaybeaboutleveraging(orhelpingothersleverage)externalconnectionstocombatinsularityandboostinnovation.

Whatleadersneedarelevers

Byprovidingleadersasetofcontext-specificleverstopull,weavoiddefaultingtoone-size-

fits-allsolutions,andinsteadenabletrueagilityinhowworkgetsdone.Thisapproachis

similarinconcepttosituationalleadership,whereeffectivenessderivesfromadaptingtothecontext.Hereweproposeaflexiblesetofcapabilitiesandpracticesthatleaderscandeploybasedontheiruniquecircumstances—strikingabalancebetweenmanageableexpectationsanddeliveringmeaningfulimpact.

Importantly,

successdoesn’t

requireexcellenceacrossallsix

capabilities,rather,it’sfocusingonthespecificpracticesthatmattermostinagivencontext.

Weproposea

flexiblesetof

capabilitiesandpracticesthatleaderscan

deploybasedontheiruniquecircumstances.

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EXECUTIVEBRIEF|LeadingfromAnywhere:DrivingResultsintheAgeofDistributedWork

KEYFINDING(3OF4)

Improvingtheperformanceofbottom-quartileleadersyieldsa

32%productivityimpact.

Whilemany

organizations

focuson

developing

high-potential

employeesfor

futureroles,anequallycriticalopportunityliesinelevatingtheeffectivenessofunderperformingpeopleleaders.

Organizationscanachieveoutsizedgainsinproductivity—andboostemployeeengagementbyupto33%—byimprovingtheperformanceofbottom-quartileleaderstojustaverage

levels.

Whilemanyorganizationsfocusondevelopinghigh-potentialemployeesforfutureroles,anequallycriticalopportunityliesinelevatingtheeffectivenessofunderperformingpeopleleaders.Strengtheningthisgroupcanhaveamarkedandimmediateimpactonoverall

performanceandteamengagement.

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LeadingfromAnywhere:DrivingResultsintheAgeofDistributedWork|EXECUTIVEBRIEF

Whatdotheseless-effectiveleadersmostcommonlymiss?Thefigurebelowreflectsthemostfrequentlycitedderailersofbottom-quartileleaders.

Top10practicesprevalentinbottom-quartileleaders

52%

Avoidsdifficultconversationsorfailstoaddressconflictdirectly.

52%

Micromanagesorretainsdecision-makingauthoritywhenit’smoreeffectivetodelegate.

39%

Treatsperformancereviewsasaonceortwice-a-yearformality,offeringgenericorvaguefeedbackwithlittleemphasisongrowth.

35%

Allowsnegativebehaviorsamongteammatestofesterwithoutintervention.

34%

Failstorevisitpriorities,leavingtheteamoverwhelmedwithexcessiveorconflictingdemands.

32%

Failstoalignteameffortswithstrategicgoals,resultinginlow-impactorredundantwork.

31%

Makesabruptchangeswithoutexplainingrationale,creatingconfusionandfrustration.

27%

Usesone-on-onesinconsistentlyorfocuses solelyontask-relatedissues,neglectingemployeedevelopmentandengagement.

27%

Reactstointernalstakeholderrequestswithoutconsideringteambandwidth.

27%

Claimstosupporthealthyculturewithoutmodelingdesiredbehaviors.

Datarepresentsthosefromorganizationsemploying>1,000people.

Source:LeadingfromAnywhere:DrivingResultsintheAgeofDistributedWork(2025),InstituteforCorporateProductivity(i4cp).

Encouragingallleaderstoreflectonthesepracticesisvaluable—notwiththeexpectation

thattheymastereverypotentialderailerorfocussolelyonthemostsignificantone—butto

helpthemrecognizewheretheymightbedriftingintounproductivebehaviorsorpractices

andidentifypracticalwaystocoursecorrect.

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EXECUTIVEBRIEF|LeadingfromAnywhere:DrivingResultsintheAgeofDistributedWork

“Behavioris

afunctionof

theindividualandthe

environment.”

—KurtLewin pioneerofsocial,organizational,andappliedpsychology

Enablingchangethrougharchetypes

Bycombininginterviewandsurveydata,weidentifiednegativeleadershiparchetypesbasedongroupingsofineffectivepractices.Thisanalysisalsorevealedasmallsetofhigh-impact

changesthatcouldsignificantlyimproveleadershipeffectivenessthroughtwodistinctroutes.

Thefirstrouteisdirectbehavioralchange.Forexample,ifaleaderstrugglestoaddress

conflictorallowsnegativeteambehaviorstopersist,targetedprogramssuchastrainingondifficultconversationsordiagnostictoolscanhelpthemaddressthesetendencies.

Thesecondrouteinvolvesadaptingthecontextaroundtheleadertoenablebetteroutcomes.Inthesameconflict,forexample,thismightentailprioritizationorcollaborationpracticesthatreducemisalignmentandfrictionwithintheteam.

Historically,researchhasshownthatbehaviorchangealoneisdifficult,especiallyifthe

contextoftheleaderremainsunchanged.Ourapproachacknowledgesthisbyenabling

leaderstoactmoreeffectivelythroughadualfocusofadaptingboththeirbehaviorsandthestructuralorculturalcontextinwhichtheylead.

Oursurveyandinterviewdatarevealedfourarchetypesthatcanbeusedtohelpleadersassessopportunitiesforimprovement.

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LeadingfromAnywhere:DrivingResultsintheAgeofDistributedWork|EXECUTIVEBRIEF

Thefourarchetypes:

TheTurtle

Theturtletendstobereluctanttoinitiateoreffectivelymanageconflict-related

ordifficultconversations,doesnotaddressnegativebehaviorswithintheteams,andchoosestoretreatratherthancourageouslymodelpositivebehaviors.

Turtlesoften:

•Avoiddifficultconversationsorfailtoaddressconflictdirectly.

•Allownegativebehaviorsamongteammatestofesterwithoutintervention.

•Claimtosupportahealthyculturewithoutmodelingdesiredbehaviors.

•Prematurelydismissideaschallengingconventionalwaysofdoingthingstoavoidconflict.

Behavioralchangeforaturtlemightcomeintheformoftrainingonconflictstyles,

effectivefeedback,anddifficultconversationskills.Acomplementaryroutefor

improvementistoapplypracticesthatreducethepotentialforconflictintheteam.

TheChessMaster

Thechessmastertendstoover-controlratherthanbuildteamcapacity/autonomyorhumanconnectioninwork.Theyoftencreatestressbynotrevisitingorabruptlychangingpriorities.

Chessmasterswilloften:

•Micromanageorretaindecision-makingauthoritywhendelegationwouldimproveeffectivenessandteammembers’senseofpurpose/ownershipinwork.

•Handlemostexternalcollaborationsthemselves,missingopportunitiestodistributeownershipandbuildteamcapacity.

•Failtorevisitpriorities,leavingtheteamoverwhelmedwithexcessiveorconflictingdemands.

•Makeabruptchangeswithoutexplainingrationale,creatingoverload,andstealingcontrolandagencyfromteammembers.

Behavioralchangeforthechessmastercommonlycomesintheformofeffortsto

promotedelegationandgreaterparticipationindecision-makinganddirectionsetting

tobuildpurposeandownershipamongsttheteam.Chessmasterscanalsobenefitfrom

targetedeffortstochangetheircontextinwaysthatcreatedivergenceofthoughtandallowmore

humanconnectionamongteammembers(whichthechessmasterisoftennoteffectiveatproviding).

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EXECUTIVEBRIEF|LeadingfromAnywhere:DrivingResultsintheAgeofDistributedWork

TheMarshmallow

Themarshmallowtendstoprovideinsufficient(orno)directionorstructure;isineffectiveinaligningteamefforts;andoftenoverwhelmstheirteamsbybeingover-reactivetostakeholders.

Marshmallowswilloften:

•Failtoalignteameffortswithstrategicgoals,resultinginlow-impactorredundantwork.

•Absorbstakeholderrequestswithoutconsideringteambandwidth.

•Neglecttoshapestakeholderdemands,leadingtomisalignedpriorities.

•Allowworkandcoordinationtooccurhaphazardly,leadingtoinefficiencies,missedhandoffs,ormisalignedefforts.

Behavioralchangeforthemarshmallowmightincludecoachingonstrategic

thinkingandalignment,performancemanagementprocesses,anddialogueskillstoshapemanageableandsynergisticstakeholderrequests.Marshmallowscan

alsobenefitfromtargetedeffortstochangetheircontextinwaysthatputspecificformsofstructureintoworkandcreategreaterefficienciesincoordinationand

collaboration.

TheFirefighter

Thefirefightertendstoignorepracticesthatwouldcreatealignmentandengagementandoveremphasizesexecutionattheexpenseofgrowth/capability.

Firefighterswilloften:

•Treatperformancereviewsasaonce-ortwice-a-yearformality,offeringgenericorvaguefeedbackwithlittleemphasisongrowth.

•Useone-on-onesinconsistentlyorfocussolelyontask-relatedissues,neglectingemployeedevelopmentandengagement.

•Notprioritizeinclusivenessofpeopleandideasasanormwithintheteam.

•Focustooheavilyonformal,extrinsicrewards,overlookingthepowerof

peersandpersonalizedrecognition.

Behavioralchangeforthefirefighterwilloftenoccurthroughappreciationofthe

humansideofleadershipaswellasmaintainingalong-termperspectiveonproblems(e.g.,recognizingwhenworkisurgentbutnotimportantandviceversa).Firefighterscanalsobenefitfromtargetedeffortstochangetheircontextinwaysthatleverage

developmentaltalentpracticesandcreateefficiencyincollaborationandwork.

Fullreportavailableexclusivelytoi4cpmembers.Visitforadditionalinformation.

LeadingfromAnywhere:DrivingResultsintheAgeofDistributedWo