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The pandemic that shocked managers across the world

The impact of the Covid-19 crisis on leadership behavior

Bibliographic Data

ID21631059
AuthorsHarry Garretsen (0000-0002-9024-4222, University of Groningen), Janka I Stoker (0000-0001-5339-1891, University of Groningen, corresponding author), Dimitrios Soudis (0000-0002-3863-1487, University of Groningen), Hein Wendt (KU Leuven)
Year2024
Volume35
Issue5
Pages101630
Publication date2024-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Leadership Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1048-9843 • E-ISSN: 1873-3409
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.leaqua.2022.101630
PMID35719269
OpenAlexW4282593816
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited58

In March 2020, the COVID-19 virus turned into a pandemic that hit organizations globally. This pandemic qualifies as an exogenous shock. Based on the threat-rigidity hypothesis, we hypothesize that this shock led to an increase in directive leadership behavior. We also argue that this relationship depends on the magnitude of the crisis and on well-learned responses of managers. In our empirical analysis we employ a differences-in-differences design with treatment intensity and focus on the period of the first lockdown, March until June 2020. Using a dataset covering monthly data for almost 27,000 managers across 48 countries and 32 sectors for January 2019 to December 2020, we find support for the threat-rigidity hypothesis. During the first lockdown, directive leadership increased significantly. We also find that this relationship is moderated by COVID-19 deaths per country, the sectoral working from home potential, and the organizational level of management. Our findings provide new evidence how large exogenous shocks like COVID-19 can impact leadership behavior

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Biology · Business · Crisis management · Crisis response · Demographic economics · Development economics · Directive · Economics · Pandemic · Political science · Public relations · COVID-19 and Mental Health · COVID-19 epidemiological studies · COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts · Law · Medicine · Virology

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Unique citing works11
Citations per year5,5
Citation span2024 - 2026 (3)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 10
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