ABSTRACT
This study explores the changing leadership role of executives in public sector organizations in Lanzhou city (China) in response to new developments and innovations in organizational and social life. As the internet and technology has transformed the workplace, managers have had to adapt; and one of the crippling challenges for the organizational leaders is to manage and lead their teams in the era of rapidly advancing technology, information and social media. Gone are the days of conventional motivational tactics; employees of today are more informed and knowledgeable than ever before; they can be better enticed through the power of social media.
This study involves gleaning empirical data from the middle- and upper-middle career officers working in various public sector departments. The findings reveal that the public officials cannot stay away from social media and use it frequently in the workplace to connect with their friends and family, and to a lesser extent for the organizational purposes, and they adopt the transformational leadership style. The findings of this study are useful to help understand leadership styles adopted by the public sector officials and how social media impacts their work behavior.
