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Abstract
Crisis events in organizations have become more frequent and often play out in very public arenas creating demanding situations and consequences for both private and public organizations and their stakeholders. The crisis generally has time pressure and the needed ability of key leaders to make swift decisions. Organizational crisis is inevitable. It has never been more evident as the global Covid 19 pandemic has impacted airlines, hospitals, schools, supply chain management, restaurants, sports, and countless other enterprises as well as the millions of stakeholders’ dependent upon them. Followers look to leaders for actions, solutions, and explanations.
This study examines Emotional Intelligence and its relationship to follower perceptions of crisis leadership, during the main crisis event and sub-events that occur through the crisis lifecycle. It is designed to have practical implications for leaders as they consider their role as a crisis leader and how they position themselves best to lead their organization and its stakeholders through the crisis. Findings conclude there is a strong relationship between above-average levels of emotional intelligence to positive follower perceptions of overall effective crisis leadership. The findings also suggest sub-events that occur during the main crisis lifecycle impact follower perceptions of crisis response.
