Crisis leadership from the perspective of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to identify traits and behaviors of organization leaders that were deemed helpful by employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: This is an exploratory qualitative study that utilized online surveys. Data from 155 participants were subjected to content analysis. Findings: Several interrelated traits and behaviors of effective crisis leadership were identified. These were clustered into three superordinate themes – attending to the person, taking charge and showing the way forward and sustaining the spirit. Research limitations/implications: Findings from this paper can be furthered by conducting quantitative studies to validate themes and/or test a conceptual model of effective crisis leadership. Gathering data from other populations at different points in time during the COVID-19 pandemic may also be useful. Practical implications: A review of leadership development programs and organization norms and values is recommended in order to ensure that they are consistent with crisis leadership competencies. Originality/value: This paper helps address the gap on follower-centered perspectives about organizational leadership responses to crises and highlights the importance of care and compassion in leading employees during difficult times.