PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to identify traits and behaviors of organization leaders that were deemed helpful by employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThis is an exploratory qualitative study that utilized online surveys. Data from 155 participants were subjected to content analysis.FindingsSeveral interrelated traits and behaviors of effective crisis leadership were identified. These were clustered into three superordinate themes – attending to the person, taking charge and showing the way forward and sustaining the spirit.Research limitations/implicationsFindings from this paper can be furthered by conducting quantitative studies to validate themes and/or test a conceptual model of effective crisis leadership. Gathering data from other populations at different points in time during the COVID-19 pandemic may also be useful.Practical implicationsA review of leadership development programs and organization norms and values is recommended in order to ensure that they are consistent with crisis leadership competencies.Originality/valueThis paper helps address the gap on follower-centered perspectives about organizational leadership responses to crises and highlights the importance of care and compassion in leading employees during difficult times.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop and assess an organizational intervention consisting of psychological first aid (PFA) and Open Space Technology (OST), and its impact on individual resilience and perceived organization support. Design/methodology/approach The study used a non-experimental, pre-test and post-test design. Measures of employee post-trauma, resilience and organizational support were measured before and after the PFA intervention. Findings Paired sample t-tests revealed significant pre/post-increases in individual resilience and perceived organization support. Correlational analysis revealed that resilience was associated with perceived organization support. Evaluations revealed that participants found the small group sharing, information about coping and the open space problem-solving activities particularly worthwhile. Research limitations/implications A limitation of the study was the lack of a randomized control group in the design. Future research may utilize more robust designs such as experimental and longitudinal studies to evaluate impact. Practical implications This study indicates how the use of an organization-based intervention can be adopted for employees who undergo an emergency in their workplace. The combination of PFA and OST was found to be valuable in improving individual resilience and perceived organization support. In addition, OST can better facilitate problem-solving performance in intact groups, as it enhances collective interaction and community efficacy among survivors. Originality/value The study contributes to the dearth of knowledge on the use of PFA when used in an intact organization as part of its crisis intervention.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide a structural model of the role of ethical leadership on intent to whistle blow workplace corruption using the theory of planned behaviors. Design/methodology/approach The study used a mixed method, sequential design. Interviews were conducted in the first phase to identify corrupt practices and validate the salience of the variables in the study. The second phase administered surveys to test the hypotheses of the study. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was done to analyze structural relationships among variables. Findings SEM results showed an adequately fit model, indicating ethical leadership predicting organizational norms and controls. It also found that ethical leadership has indirect effect toward employees’ attitude toward corruption through organizational norms and control. Furthermore, ethical leadership also has indirect effect on intent to whistle blow through organizational controls. Research limitations/implications This study was conducted in the Philippines, a high-power distance culture. In such a culture, the influence of leadership is crucial, as it dictates standard behaviors of members and the organization as a whole. Future research may wish to explore whether the findings would also apply in low-power distance cultures. Practical implications The finding suggests that ethical leadership is crucial in shaping organizational norms and controls, which in turn, influences employees’ attitude toward corruption and their intention to whistle blow. Originality/value The study contributes to corruption literature by providing empirical evidence of the structure model how the role of ethical leadership shapes organizational norms and controls that, in turn, influences employee attitude toward corruption and intent to whistle blow.

This study evaluated two forms of a resilience intervention amongst college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilising a randomised controlled trial design, it examined the impact of a synchronous and asynchronous resilience interventions versus a control group that did a journaling intervention. Outcomes measured included coping behaviour, non-reactivity, wellbeing, stress, depression and anxiety. Participants consisted of Filipino college students randomly assigned to three groups: synchronous online resilience group (n = 135), asynchronous resilience group (n = 121) and control group (n = 127). Results revealed that students who went through the online synchronous resilience reported a significant reduction in depression at post-intervention compared to those who went through an asynchronous intervention. Post-intervention scores for nonreactivity were also higher in the synchronous group compared to both asynchronous and journaling groups. Effect sizes were small to moderate. This study suggests that online resilience interventions are viable means to address the mental health needs of students, especially in countries with limited mental health resources.