Examining crisis leadership behaviours through the principles of Buddhism: an interview-based study

Crisis leadership is a crucial trait in managing uncertainties hence the behaviours needed to do so assume critical importance. In this paper, the authors aim to investigate the behaviours of leaders in crises using the principles of Buddhism and contribute a better understanding of crisis leadership behaviours to the existing literature. An interview-based study was conducted with global leaders to understand such essential behaviours, followed by an analysis to check for any consonance between the emergent themes and the eight-fold path of Buddhism. The study identified significant crisis leadership behaviours and showed a connection between the themes and the behaviours based on the principles of Buddhism. The paper provides a framework of desirable crisis leadership behaviours that organisations can use as reference points to instil and develop them in their managers and individual contributors.