Leading in a crisis

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has become the ultimate stress test for communities, nations and the world. Public managers are dealing with a fast-changing global crisis and being forced to make difficult choices based on limited information.

The Leading in a crisis series featured the best research and thinking on crisis leadership as part of ANZSOG’s mission to lift the quality of government in Australia and New Zealand.

The series was undertaken in 2020 and explored crisis management, leadership and communications, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, and put global expertise in the hands of public managers in Australia and New Zealand.

ANZSOG Vice President, Thought Leadership & Ethics and Integrity, Gill Callister, an experienced public manager and former secretary of two Victorian departments, said the series would address the need for accurate and timely research, which public leaders desperately need in the midst of a crisis.

“Public leaders working under pressure need high-quality information from credible sources to assist them to make what are often rapid decisions, forced by times of crisis.

“This information is often available long after a crisis has ended.

“ANZSOG has drawn on our international networks with some of the best crisis leadership researchers in the world to create informative pieces that concisely summarise the lessons from their research.

“At a time where the role of government is more important than ever, ANZSOG is proud to play its part in ensuring that public managers have access to the best thinking and research from across the world.”

The Leading in a crisis series built on ANZSOG’s existing partnerships, enhancing the capability of public sector leaders by ensuring access to the world’s leading academics, such as Paul ‘t Hart - a Professor of Public Administration at Utrecht University and Associate Dean of the Netherlands School of Public Administration in The Hague.

See below for articles from the Leading in a crisis series: