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oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/1283392025-12-03T00:48:43Zcom_20.500.14352_14col_20.500.14352_15

Díaz Soloaga, Paloma Diaz Soloaga, Aurora 2025-12-02T14:19:53Z 2025-12-02T14:19:53Z 2022 Díaz-Soloaga P, Díaz-Soloaga A (2023), "Forced telecommuting during the COVID-19 lockdown: the impact on corporate culture in Spain and Kazakhstan". Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Vol. 28 No. 2 pp. 193–212, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-02-2022-0018 10.1108/CCIJ-02-2022-0018 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/128339 https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-02-2022-0018 https://www.emerald.com/ccij/article-abstract/28/2/193/68914/Forced-telecommuting-during-the-COVID-19-lockdown?redirectedFrom=fulltext Purpose. This paper studied organizational culture in two different countries during the COVID-19 lockdown, a stressful social and labor context that obliged entire working populations to telecommute from home. We considered how people have coped with this new scenario, bearing in mind that one of the most relevant aspects of organizational culture and climate is the face-to-face interactions that take place in offices. With telework, that important physical relationship disappears and, since body language has its own grammar, work-related messages logically become open to misunderstanding between leaders and subordinates, as well as among peers. Design/methodology/approach. An anonymous questionnaire (in Spanish and Russian) was distributed through the LinkedIn social media platform. The study intended to capture responses from white-collar professionals with managerial profiles, including those occupying high and medium-level positions, consultants, section directors, and project managers across different industries in both the countries. We collected 142 responses from Spain and 115 from Kazakhstan, with a total of 257 valid responses. Principal component's analysis (PCA), to obtain factorial axis was applied. We then performed a factor analysis of those principal components using Coheris Analytics SPAD 9.1. Findings. The first finding herein points to the fact that the same experience had different consequences in these two different places, which can be traced back to national-cultural values. Spain and Kazakhstan share some common values and, at the same time, are culturally opposite. People fear uncertainty and one of the best ways to avoid this feeling is to provide them with technical and emotional support to manage a situation. During the COVID-19 lockdown, professionals from both countries expected their bosses to be assertive, driven, attentive and encouraging. And it seems they got just that. Secondly, a robust structure is mandatory for feeling secure: workers reported devoting more hours to telecommuting at home and even felt that their jobs were invading their personal lives, but they handled it because they knew to whom they should report. Procedures, rules, and methods were clear enough to avoid uncertainty. They even invented new rituals, patterns and practices that helped to reinforce their sense of belonging to the team. On top of this, in their responses, they noted that leaders acted consistently, even admirably, during lockdown and, for this reason, they gained their subordinates' respect. eng open access Forced telecommuting during the COVID-19 lockdown: the impact on corporate culture in Spain and Kazakhstan journal article