Navigating self-leadership in remote and hybrid work environments: influence of personality traits and moderating force of psychological safety

Purpose The contemporary work landscape necessitates flexibility and the ability to navigate obstacles autonomously, which resonates with the ethos of self-leadership. This research investigates the factors leading to self-leadership and its effects within the boundaries of remote and hybrid work in two distinct cultural contexts. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected from India and the Middle East, representing full-time remote work and hybrid work settings. Responses were collected using a Google Forms-based questionnaire, resulting in 241(India) and 152 (Middle East) usable responses. Findings The findings reveal that the structural model explained 37.7 and 50.1% variance in self-leadership and meaningfulness at work for the Indian sample for full-time remote work and hybrid, respectively. The comparable figures for the Middle East were 23% and 29%. The study also examines gender differences in these traits and finds that females demonstrate higher levels of proactive personality than males in both India and the Middle East. Originality/value The study contributes to the growing literature on self-leadership by examining how core self-evaluation and proactive personality relate to self-leadership through the moderating role of psychological safety.