How do leaders cope not choke, during a crisis?

Organizational crises, especially those including threats to survival and mass casualties, are deeply psychologically challenging for leaders. The pressure to lead effectively may cause leaders to choke rather than cope under pressure. This study was carried out while a terrorist attack was ongoing in a subsidiary of a multinational energy corporation and provides unique insights into how leaders react to crises and seek support by using different coping strategies. Further details are in the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science (JABS).

Synnøve Nesse is a psychologist and holds a PhD from the Department of Strategy & Management at the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) and works as a researcher at the Centre for Applied Research (SNF) and consultant in AFF at NHH.

Inger Stensaker is Dr. Oecon and Professor of Strategic Change at the Department of Strategy & Management at the Norwegian School of economics (NHH).