The Hybrid Manager in the Digital World of work: South African Energy Sector

Abstract

Remote work has been around since the early 1970s when computers made information portable. Remote work can be defined as a flexible style of work between the employer and the employee, where the employee works away from the office, the employee does not interact directly with colleagues, and uses technology as a means for communication (Griffiths and Gilly, 2012). In developed countries, remote work is not new and has existed long before the influence of Covid-19 (Kossek and Lautsch, 2018). Remote workers have become known for working outside the traditional office using computers, laptops, and communication techniques and this has led to the rise of hybrid management. Hybrid managers can be defined as the type of managers who blend information and communication technology skills with traditional management skills. The popularity of hybrid management systems has been accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic and the use of advanced technology, resulting in many jobs that can be performed remotely in a variety of industries and sectors that have never considered the possibility of working from home (Radović Marković, Stevanovic and Milojević, 2021). Many professional, technical, and clerical jobs have been impacted using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to conduct business while mobile, at home, or at locations other than the traditional workplace (Brocklehurst, 2001; Tietze and Musson, 2005; Wilson, O'Leary, Metiu, and Jett, 2008).