Leadership in Remote Work (2020–2027): A Bibliometrics Analysis of Keyword Networks, Thematic Evolution, and Emerging Research Frontiers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65222/VIRAL.2026.5.31.51Keywords:
Abstract
The rapid expansion of remote and hybrid work following the COVID-19 pandemic has substantially transformed leadership research across organizational studies, management, digital transformation, and employee wellbeing scholarship. What initially emerged as a crisis-driven managerial concern centered on virtual coordination and communication has progressively evolved into a broader interdisciplinary field addressing hybrid leadership, psychological safety, digital trust, AI-supported management, employee experience, and algorithmic coordination within technologically mediated workplaces. Despite the growing volume of publications on leadership in remote work environments, the intellectual structure and thematic evolution of this emerging field remain insufficiently synthesized. This study develops a bibliometric analysis of leadership in remote work research between 2020 and May 2027 using Scopus-indexed publications retrieved through a structured search strategy combining leadership-related and remote-work-related terms. Articles, reviews, and conference papers were analyzed using VOSviewer and Biblioshiny (RStudio) in order to examine annual scientific production, co-occurrence keyword networks, co-citation structures, thematic evolution, and emerging conceptual clusters. A total of 2,356 documents from 684 publication sources were included in the analysis. Rather than limiting the study to descriptive bibliometric indicators, the paper adopts an interpretative perspective attentive to conceptual shifts and emerging research frontiers within digitally mediated organizational ecosystems. The findings reveal three interconnected developmental phases. The first phase (2020–2021) was dominated by crisis-response leadership focused on communication, productivity, virtual teams, and work-life balance during pandemic disruption. The second phase (2022–2023) reflected consolidation around hybrid work, employee wellbeing, trust, psychological safety, and organizational resilience. The most recent phase (2024–2027) demonstrates increasing thematic expansion toward AI leadership, inclusive leadership, algorithmic management, digital ethics, sustainability, and employee experience. Co-occurrence network analysis further indicates a gradual transition from operational leadership concerns toward more human-centered and socio-technical governance frameworks. The study argues that leadership in remote work should no longer be interpreted merely as a temporary post-pandemic adaptation. Instead, the field increasingly reflects broader transformations affecting organizational authority, workplace identity, digital governance, and technologically mediated labor systems. By mapping the intellectual evolution of leadership in remote work research, the paper contributes to emerging debates concerning hybrid organizational governance, digital leadership, AI-mediated management, and the future of work.
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