Creative Leadership in the Face of Crisis: From Hurricanes to Pandemic

Introduction

As the world faced the COVID 19 pandemic of 2020, there were many memes of women leaders who led their countries successfully during this crisis, suggesting that countries with heads of state who are women were managing the crisis better than other countries. This was further outlined in a Forbes article (Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, 2020) which highlighted the women leaders in Germany, Taiwan, New Zealand, Iceland, Finland, Norway and Denmark. The traits displayed, according to the article, included use of truth, being decisive, utilizing technology, and displaying love. Some of these attributes are traditionally paired with leadership. The integration of empathy and care in the approach, traditionally associated more with women than men, might not come to mind when describing strong leadership, though it appears that these were the attributes most needed to face the COVID 19 crisis. Often when looking at leadership styles of men and women, researchers will seek out evidence of agentic or communal approaches. Agentic attributes include being assertive, controlling, independent and confident, and communal attributes include being nurturing, sensitive, sympathetic, and showing concern for others (Eagly & Johannesen-Schmidt, 2001). Vroman and Danko (2020) note that emotional connections by leaders have proven appropriate and effective during these times. They posit that leadership with a more communal orientation, which is more stereotypically and socially aligned with feminine behavior, may be necessary in the face of the pandemic, even while combined with the more agentic approach.

News of crisis abound, whether it be climate driven, socially driven, or pandemic driven. Universities as organizations need to maneuver these crises, and their leaders are called upon to make and administer decisions in response. This is no different for the University of the Virgin Islands. In 2017, the Virgin Islands were devastated by two major hurricanes, Irma and Maria, that were each category 5 when they encountered the islands. Devastation was everywhere, and many were left to pick up the pieces and chart a way forward. Among the impacted were the University of the Virgin Islands, and its Provost, a woman leader who herself had her home of 20 years destroyed by the hurricanes. Even so, focus had to be on providing for the students, who through no fault of theirs, had their academic progress hanging in the balance. Some were ready to continue, and some had also lost home and belongings. The University settled on a “hold students harmless” approach, which meant different things for different students. For some it meant finding ways for them to continue on campus; for some it meant finding ways for them to continue while off island as their homes were no more; for others it meant finding ways for them to pause without financial impact; and a myriad other circumstances. Moreover, faculty and staff also had needs that had to be managed and cared for. This article is an exploration of approaches utilized by a woman academic leader to address various crises facing an Historically Black College/University (HBCU) of 2,400 students. Engaging an authentic and communal approach can lead to successful outcomes in times of crisis.