Term
Summer 2026
Capstone
Dissertation
Degree Name
EdD
Primary Advisor/Dissertation Chair
Trish Harvey
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for organizations and leaders, requiring rapid responses to uncertainty. This qualitative study examined how leadership models evolved in response to lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and identified the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) essential for effective leadership in a post-pandemic environment, guided by Heifetz's Adaptive Leadership Theory. Chapter 2 situated the study within four leadership models: situational, skills, transformational, and adaptive. It also examined three pandemic-era drivers of workplace change: the multigenerational workforce, the Great Resignation, and employee mental health. Chapter 3 employed a mixed-methods design consisting of a survey of 43 respondents followed by semi-structured interviews with 10 business and HR leaders from for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Chapter 4 found that most leaders had adopted adaptive or agile approaches (61% each), rather than traditional hierarchical leadership (7%), shaped by post-pandemic learning; interviews further revealed six themes, including a shift from presence-based to trust-based leadership complicated by a resurgence of surveillance practices tied to return-to-office mandates, alongside human- centered leadership, intentional communication, and adaptive decision-making as core leadership imperatives. Chapter 5 concluded that COVID-19 did not create new leadership competencies but accelerated existing ones from desirable qualities into indispensable capabilities. These findings affirmed much of the existing literature while extending it through new insights on return-to-office tensions and sector-based differences in leadership practice, with implications for the continued evolution of leadership capabilities and future research on AI's role in leadership.
Research Methodology
Grounded Theory, Interview, Survey (attitude scale, opinion, questionnaire)
Keywords
Leadership, COVID-19 Leadership, Human-centered Leadership, Change Management
Recommended Citation
Bekele, Mimi, "From Crisis To Capability: The Evolution Of Leadership Models And Essential Competencies In The Post-Pandemic Era" (2026). School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations. 4641.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_all/4641
dc_type
text
dc_publisher
DigitalCommons@Hamline
dc_format
application/pdf
dc_source
School of Education Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations