The pandemic that shocked managers across the world

The impact of the Covid-19 crisis on leadership behavior

Datos Bibliográficos

ID21631059
AutoresHarry Garretsen (0000-0002-9024-4222, University of Groningen), Janka I Stoker (0000-0001-5339-1891, University of Groningen, autor de correspondencia), Dimitrios Soudis (0000-0002-3863-1487, University of Groningen), Hein Wendt (KU Leuven)
Año2024
Volumen35
Número5
Páginas101630
Fecha de publicación2024-10-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaThe Leadership Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1048-9843 • E-ISSN: 1873-3409
EditorialElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.leaqua.2022.101630
PMID35719269
OpenAlexW4282593816
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas11
Referencias citadas58

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