LEADERSHIP
Research finds the decision chair shaped remote work more than the policy
Research by Babson College faculty, working with colleagues Gina O'Connor and Jonathan Sims, tracked the research and development units of four unnamed global companies through interviews with senior leaders and team members from 2021 to 2023. All four sent most employees home in March 2020, yet took between 3 and 15 months to settle on stable arrangements, sometimes changing workplace policy several times.
The difference traced back to where the call was made. Two employers ran the pandemic through existing hierarchy and protocols, one research director calling it just another risk to be managed; they stabilized fast but faced managerial friction from employees who felt unheard. The two collaborative firms, one holding workshops with staff at every level, decided slower and met less resistance, with one workforce still engineering work-arounds by early 2023.
Source: The Conversation · September 21, 2026