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Background and Problem Statement
Lerato Mnguni
Course Name, Institution
Course Code: Section, Module Name
Dr Queen Usadolo and Dr Elette Horn
2025
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Problem Statement
With hybrid working here to stay in modern working life, organisations around the
world are under pressure, particularly in sectors such as aviation, to implement leadership
approaches that keep people engaged, provide clarity around culture, and help consistent
performance management across remote and office-based environments (Iradukunda et al.,
2025). In hybrid environments, traditional management styles, dependent as they are on in-
person monitoring are failing.
On the other hand, what has been a pressing worry but increasing challenge is the
obvious skill gap in leading hybrid teams in areas like digital communication, remote
performance management, and inclusive leadership. This gap becomes gradually magnified
in the likes of South Africa, where the country has a less mature digital infrastructure and a
more stuttered leadership transition. Without specific up-skilling and targeted leadership
development, organisations in aviation will find relationships souring, trust lacking, and
productivity fluctuating in their hybrid workforces (Hanzis & Hallo, 2024).
Background Information
The concept of hybrid work became globally prominent during COVID-19 as a
temporary measure to ensure the running of operations with the lowest health risks. With the
already tumultuous aviation climate in South Africa grappling with regulatory complexities
and operational nuisances, remote and hybrid work structures present a real challenge for
both businesses and employees (Sun et al., 2024). Although this model has survived,
primarily due to its adaptability and ability to save costs, it created its own challenges, too,
when it comes to leadership.
Hybrid work is characterised by its combination of remote and on-site work
structures, and what differentiates it from a fully remote work structure is the need for leaders
to juggle two vastly different environments all at once. The duality, however, offers
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distinctive challenges in creating unity, justice, and synergy.In a field like aviation, where
real-time coordination, compliance, and safety are critical, hybrid leadership needs to be
effective (Sun et al., 2024). This change highlighted specific skill gaps in hybrid team
management, including digital fluency, techniques for remote engagement, and equitable
location decision-making. In South Africa, for instance, many aviation managers are finding
it increasingly hard to keep teams engaged, define and measure performance reasonably, and
build trust, particularly when teams are geographically dispersed. The above is often a result
of not receiving targeted training on hybrid leadership competencies.
In the South African context, however, some challenges like a significant internet
divide and uneven maturity of digital across organisations exist, which directly impact hybrid
leadership development (Komna & Mpungose, 2024). The hurdles become steeper in the era
of rapid technological advancements, where managers must ensure that they are continuously
evolving their skills to keep up with digital collaboration tools, virtual communication
platforms, and performance analytics systems. South African aviation organisations and
others around the world need to invest in adapted leadership development to make sure they
are resilient and competitive in the hybrid work era.
References
Hanzis, A., & Hallo, L. (2024). The Experiences and Views of Employees on Hybrid Ways
of Working. Administrative Sciences, 14(10), 263.
https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14100263
Iradukunda, P. G., Iradukunda, A., Gashema, P., Ngabo, E., Jean, Musafiri, T., Umuhoza, T.,
Uwayo, U., Moyo, E., Habimana, R., Muvunyi, C. M., & Dzinamarira, T. (2025).
From COVID-19 Pandemic Pivot to Progress: Blended Work as a Pathway to Greener
African Cities. Challenges, 16(1), 10–10. https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16010010
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Komna, L., & Mpungose, S. (2024). Investigating the impact of digital transformation in the
public sector: A case study of the State Information Technology Agency (SITA),
South Africa. International Journal of Business Ecosystem and Strategy (2687-2293),
6(4), 218–234. https://doi.org/10.36096/ijbes.v6i4.610
Sun, X., Zheng, C., Wandelt, S., & Zhang, A. (2024). Airline competition: A comprehensive
review of recent research. Journal of the Air Transport Research Society, 2(100013),
100013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jatrs.2024.100013
