Balancing Act: Navigating Employee Autonomy and Neglect

<p>The fine line between granting employee autonomy and inadvertently falling into patterns of neglect presents a complex challenge within organizational leadership. This study explores the question: What do leaders perceive as effective strategies for providing autonomy to remote employees without being perceived as neglecting them? Employee autonomy empowers employees to make decisions, while leader neglect towards subordinates (LNS) is defined through this research as a gradual decrease in a leader's interest or effort in sustaining positive relationships with employees. Navigating this balance is crucial to maintaining employee engagement.</p> <p>This qualitative study uncovered nuanced perceptions on this issue using a grounded theory methodology and semi-structured interviews with leaders. The findings suggest the importance of regular check-ins with employees, deprioritizing external factors that influence or detract from leaders' attention, and the concept that autonomy could be an illusion in high-stress environments. A proposed model emerged to guide leaders in balancing these elements. In sum, this research underscores the intertwined nature of employee autonomy and perceived neglect from a leadership perspective in contemporary work settings.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Year

2024

Author dc:creator

• Sankar, Lekshmy

Contributors dc:contributor

• Daniel Baack
• Dennis Wittmer
• Kerry Mitchell

• Autonomy
• Employee autonomy
• Employee neglect
• Leader perspective
• Leadership
• Neglect
• Business
• Business Administration, Management, and Operations
• Education

Statement dc:rights

• <p>Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.</p>

Language dc:language

English (eng)

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/2436

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.du.edu:etd-3428