Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Organizational Leadership

First Advisor

Carlos Guzman

Second Advisor

Bendta Friesen

Third Advisor

Joe Jaconette

Abstract

Purpose: This qualitative, multiple-case study held significant importance because it aimed to identify and describe the strategies used by exemplary naval frontline leaders to lead in crisis, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study focused on the five critical tasks of strategic crisis leadership (sensemaking, decision making/coordination, meaning making, accounting, and learning), providing a unique insight into the experiences of these leaders during a crisis.Methodology: This qualitative, multiple-case study employed interviews to collect data from exemplary naval frontline leaders to identify and describe their leadership strategies during the unprecedented COVID-19 global health crisis.

Findings: Crisis leadership among U.S. naval frontline leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic was an integrated, adaptive, and relational practice in which sensemaking, decision making, meaning making, accountability, and learning were enacted simultaneously to sustain mission readiness, trust, and resilience amid prolonged uncertainty.

Conclusions: Crisis leadership among U.S. naval frontline leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic was enacted as an integrated, adaptive practice in which sensemaking, meaning making, decision making, accountability, and learning occurred simultaneously through daily interaction. Collectively, the findings indicate that prolonged crises amplify the relational, ethical, and identity-shaping dimensions of leadership, underscoring the importance of human-centered approaches to sustaining trust, performance, and organizational resilience in complex operational environments.

Recommendations: Future research should expand crisis leadership studies among diverse naval platforms and leadership levels to test the transferability of frontline practices. Longitudinal and mixed methods designs are recommended to examine how crisis leadership capabilities, learning, and accountability evolve from multiple crises and over time. Additional research should explore the emotional, moral, and identity-shaping dimensions of crisis leadership, including the role of social identity, trust, and cohesion. Studies assessing the effectiveness of formal crisis leadership training and the impact of technology-enabled communication on sensemaking and decision making/coordination would further strengthen theory and practice.

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