Leadership in crisis: An investigation into the response of Cypriot organisations during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

In this project the topic of Crisis Leadership was investigated. This is a topic that has gathered increased academic interest in recent years, due to the frequency and scale on which crises have been taking place. Focus was given on the response of a Cypriot organisation during the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was of interest to investigate how leadership was applied within the organisation but also how this was perceived by those being led. The choice was made to investigate a manufacturing company, as firms in this category were presented with a different set of challenges compared to service-oriented organisations. Kean soft drinks ltd, a prominent firm in the Cypriot economy and industry, was chosen as the company to be studied. The research was carried out in the format of a combined quantitative and qualitative case study through the use of questionnaires and interviews. Both employees and leaders were asked about their experiences during the pandemic. From the collected data it was found that the leadership style during the pandemic was predominantly situational, with leaders doing their best to adapt to the situation. Interestingly, it was found that whilst leaders felt their leadership style remained unchanged, compared to the pre-Covid era, a significant portion of employees reported a change in the leadership style as they perceived it. Data collected on various metrics, such as employees satisfaction, types of support provided by the organisation, and the leaders’ personal leadership style preference all provided useful insight into the way that leaders at KEAN navigated the pandemic.