Title: Impact of virtual leadership on mitigating the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic: a mediation moderation model through e-management and organisational culture

Authors: Mohammed Hussein Manhal; Rana Abdullah Mohammed; Zaina Mustafa Mahmoud Hamad; Attia Aman Ullah; Ali Mansoor

Addresses: Department of Business Administration, Almaaqal University, Almaaqal 61001, Basrah, Iraq ' Department of Business Administration, University of Basrah, Manawi Basha 42001, Basrah, Iraq ' Kurtkoy Usta Expertise Firm, Pendik 34912, Istanbul, Turkey ' Faculty of Business and Communication, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Persiaran Perdana 06010, Sintok Kedah, Malaysia ' Department of Business Administration, Almaaqal University, Almaaqal 61001, Basrah, Iraq

Abstract: This study aims to test the role of virtual leadership as a mitigation measure during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study tests the mediation role of remote work between virtual leadership and the COVID-19 outbreak and the moderation role of organisational culture. The study employed an analytical descriptive approach and a specially designed questionnaire to test the relationships. The sample size was 351 teachers of teaching staff at the University of Basrah. Results show that virtual leadership forms a significantly positive relationship with electronic management and positively mitigates the influence of the COVID-19 outbreak. Results confirm the mediation role of remote work and the moderation role of organisational culture. The novelty of this study lies in the lack of research that explores the association between the COVID-19 outbreak and virtual leadership, as well as the mediation effect of electronic management and the moderation effect of organisational culture.

Keywords: virtual leadership; remote work; electronic management; organisational culture; COVID-19 pandemic; mediation; moderation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPMB.2025.145432

International Journal of Process Management and Benchmarking, 2025 Vol.20 No.1, pp.69 - 95

Received: 01 Feb 2024
Accepted: 10 Feb 2024
Published online: 01 Apr 2025 *

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