The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Leadership Development: A Study of Leaders in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Covid-19 pandemic has influenced leadership development and possibly changed the perception of leadership learning. The closure of movements and gatherings during the pandemic effectively switched on virtual and digital alternatives to leadership development in attempts to fill the gap left by traditional approaches to leadership development. The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on leadership ability to learn partially reflects the impact of educational technology and communication; however, it is not determined whether the impact is solely related to Covid-19 restrictions or the change of leadership development trends. The goals of this study highlight the plight of leadership development during the first year of Covid-19 pandemic which aim to inform future leadership training designs. This study uses a mixed method design, whose quantitative data focus on factual numerical details to confirm hypotheses while the qualitative data provides experiences based on concepts. The major study tool was a questionnaire, but the researcher made video calls to some participants for brief interviews. Video calls was preferred to enable the researchers to observe the respondents’ behavior when explaining the impact of covid-19 in the organizations’ leadership. The key findings postulate that most organizations were compelled to hold virtual leadership development sessions despite the ability to hold face to face small group development sessions. The instant shift to digital training exposed leaders to new possibilities in development and increased the number of training opportunities used by leaders. The significance of these findings inform future leadership development decisions on designing the leadership training and development.