Leading from afar: Development and validation of the leadership competencies for telework scale

Abstract The shift to telework and hybrid arrangements has prompted organizations to reevaluate leadership competencies specific to remote environments. Therefore, we developed the Leadership Competencies for Telework (LCT) scale, designed for telework settings and addressing new challenges such as telework-life balance and virtual distance. The validation process included two studies: (1) Two content validity panels with 27 experts, and (2) validation of the 67-item scale through a survey of 543 Spanish teleworkers. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a five-factor structure: Digital Communication, Digital Trust-Building, Remote Goal Management, Remote Relationships Development, and Telework-Life Balance Support. The scale demonstrated high reliability (α < 0.90 for all factors) and validity, correlating with key outcomes such as job satisfaction, professional isolation, telework-life conflict, and organizational citizenship behaviors. The LCT scale provides organizations with a validated tool for assessing and developing effective telework leadership. Future research could validate the scale through longitudinal studies, exploring its predictive power over time.