IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i9p7708-d1141886.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Stories of Leadership: Leading with Empathy through the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Jennifer S. Linvill

    (Department of Technology Leadership & Innovation, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA)

  • Gloria O. Onosu

    (Department of Management, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA)

Abstract

Leader–follower interactions during times of complexity are critical in managing rapid change demands and ensuring organizational sustainability. Between early 2020 and 2023, many organizations worldwide witnessed an unprecedented need for organizational change that rapidly transformed the work environment. This study focused on understanding the contexts of leader and follower interactions during times of change using the shifting organizational landscapes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Applying a qualitative methodology, we collected data from 12 leaders across multiple business sectors in Africa, Asia, and the United States using semi-structured interviews. We then transcribed the interviews and applied an iterative phronetic approach to analyze the data by engaging complexity leadership, emotion in organizations, leading with empathy, belonging, and power and control as theoretical lenses for data analysis. We analyzed how individual leadership experiences during a time of complexity fostered a shift in leadership paradigms and leadership styles within organizations. The findings indicated that due to the unprecedented situations faced during COVID-19, leaders shifted from leadership styles that applied a lens of power and control to an adaptable model that follows the framework of complexity leadership and applies a lens of leading with emotional intelligence. The findings provided a nuanced understanding of the leader–follower relationship by allowing for a complex and varied description of how individuals discursively situate their experiences around issues of power and control. The findings also showed that leaders became more intentional about leading, purposely changing their leadership style to create an environment that supported open communication, belonging, empathy, and awareness. The findings also suggested that when leaders adapt elements of emotional intelligence in leading during times of organizational complexity, they do so with the goal of motivating others and creating a feeling of connection with followers. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Jennifer S. Linvill & Gloria O. Onosu, 2023. "Stories of Leadership: Leading with Empathy through the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-22, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:9:p:7708-:d:1141886
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/9/7708/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/9/7708/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Minkyung Kim & Elizabeth A. Williams, 2022. "Emotional Sustainability in Human Services Organizations: Cultural and Communicative Paths to Dealing with Emotional Work," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-17, November.
    2. Hennink, Monique & Kaiser, Bonnie N., 2022. "Sample sizes for saturation in qualitative research: A systematic review of empirical tests," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gülüm Özer & İdil Işık & Jordi Escartín, 2024. "Is There Somebody Looking out for Me? A Qualitative Analysis of Bullying Experiences of Individuals Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(2), pages 1-22, January.
    2. Júlio Belo Fernandes & Diana Vareta & Sónia Fernandes & Ana Silva Almeida & Dina Peças & Noélia Ferreira & Liliana Roldão, 2022. "Rehabilitation Workforce Challenges to Implement Person-Centered Care," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-9, March.
    3. Patrice M. Buzzanell & Colleen Arendt & Rebecca L. Dohrman & Carla B. Zoltowski & Prashant Rajan, 2023. "Engineering Emotion Sustainably: Affective Gendered Organizing of Engineering Identities and Third Space," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-20, March.
    4. Daniel Muir & Cristiana Orlando & Becci Newton, 2024. "Impact of summer programmes on the outcomes of disadvantaged or ‘at risk’ young people: A systematic review," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(2), June.
    5. Yu, Jiazhou & Dong, Dong & Sumerlin, Timothy S. & Kim, Jean H., 2023. "Feasibility of introducing effective alcohol harms reduction strategies in a low regulation region: A qualitative study from Hong Kong," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    6. Hall, Julie & Hawkins, Olivia & Montgomery, Amy & Singh, Saniya & Mullan, Judy & Degeling, Chris, 2022. "Dismantling antibiotic infrastructures in residential aged care: The invisible work of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS)," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).
    7. Hossam Mohamed Elhamy & Maha Abdulmajeed, 2023. "Arab Media Researchers’ Perceptions of Factors Affecting Their Research Problem Selection," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(3), pages 21582440231, September.
    8. Wesley Darling & Jacquelyn Broader & Adam Cohen & Susan Shaheen, 2023. "Going My Way? Understanding Curb Management and Incentive Policies to Increase Pooling Service Use and Public Transit Linkages in the San Francisco Bay Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-20, September.
    9. Michal Beňo, 2023. "Re-Establishing Home and Work Boundaries by Pseudo-Commuting Whilst Working from Home," Central European Business Review, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2023(4), pages 123-134.
    10. Izudi, Jonathan & Cattamanchi, Adithya & Castelnuovo, Barbara & King, Rachel, 2024. "Barriers and facilitators to viral load suppression among people living with HIV following intensive adherence counseling in Kampala, Uganda: A qualitative study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 343(C).
    11. Dario Krpan & Jonathan E. Booth & Andreea Damien, 2023. "The positive–negative–competence (PNC) model of psychological responses to representations of robots," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 7(11), pages 1933-1954, November.
    12. Elena Commodari & Valentina Lucia La Rosa & Giuseppina Susanna Nania, 2022. "Pregnancy, Motherhood and Partner Support in Visually Impaired Women: A Qualitative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-13, April.
    13. Elizabeth L. Adams & Amanda Edgar & Peyton Mosher & Bridget Armstrong & Sarah Burkart & R. Glenn Weaver & Michael W. Beets & E. Rebekah Siceloff & Ronald J. Prinz, 2023. "Barriers to Optimal Child Sleep among Families with Low Income: A Mixed-Methods Study to Inform Intervention Development," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-15, January.
    14. Tafel Maximilian & Szolnoki Gergely & Jedicke Eckhard, 2023. "Do German winegrowers see a connection between biodiversity and wine tourism?," Zeitschrift für Tourismuswissenschaft, De Gruyter, vol. 15(3), pages 321-333, October.
    15. Nguyen, Minh Hieu & Pojani, Dorina, 2024. "The effect of fuel price fluctuations on utilitarian cycling rates: A survey of cyclists in Vietnam," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    16. Silvia Novelli & Francesca Moino & Patrizia Borsotto, 2022. "External Benefits of Irrigation in Mountain Areas: Stakeholder Perceptions and Water Policy Implications," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-14, August.
    17. Abdul‐Rahim Mohammed, 2024. "The hidden costs of austerity for social programmes in the Global South: Qualitative insights from two complementary services in Ghana's Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty Programme," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(4), pages 1965-1981, May.
    18. Liyanaarachchi, Gajendra & Mifsud, Matthieu & Viglia, Giampaolo, 2024. "Virtual influencers and data privacy: Introducing the multi-privacy paradox," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    19. Ana Guimarães & Armanda Pereira & André Oliveira & Sílvia Lopes & Ana Rita Nunes & Cleia Zanatta & Pedro Rosário, 2023. "Parenting in Cerebral Palsy: Understanding the Perceived Challenges and Needs Faced by Parents of Elementary School Children," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-16, February.
    20. Michael Cody Coker & Sarah E. Riforgiate, 2023. "Organizing Emotions throughout Disenfranchised Grief: Virtual Support Group Sensemaking through Emotion Discourses," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-16, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:9:p:7708-:d:1141886. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.