Academic literature on the topic 'Orientation in Times of Crisis'

Research demonstrates that situational uncertainty or crisis strongly influences the endorsement of the more charismatic or decisive leadership styles and that inspirational communication is at the heart of these styles. However, there is currently little understanding of what leaders should convey through their communication to be endorsed in crisis. Based on regulatory focus theory, we argue that times of crisis make leaders who use more promotion-oriented communication more likely to be endorsed and leaders who use more prevention-oriented communication less likely to be endorsed. Results of Study 1, an archival study of U.S. presidents, show that presidents who use more promotion-oriented communication are more endorsed but only if economic growth is low or if inflation is high, while no effects of the use of prevention orientation of communication surfaces. Results of Study 2, a laboratory experiment, show that leaders who communicate a promotion orientation, as compared to a prevention orientation, motivate higher performance in participants in a crisis condition, but that there is no difference in a no-crisis (i.e. control) condition. Finally, results of Study 3, a scenario experiment, demonstrate that organizational leaders that communicate more promotion-oriented (as opposed to more prevention-oriented) have a higher chance of being endorsed but only in times of crisis and that this effect is mediated by followers’ motivation to realize the plans of the leader.

We investigate how the 2008–2012 economic crisis relates to entrepreneurs’ confidence ten years later and, in turn, their venture’s entrepreneurial orientation. Conceptually, we introduce the new concept of ‘hard times’ to capture an entrepreneur’s sense of their venture’s hardship during the crisis. Theoretically, we extend ideas on imprinting, to build the argument that hard times cause a persistent reduction in an entrepreneur’s entrepreneurial self-efficacy and sense of job security, both of which in turn cause a contemporaneous reduction in their venture’s entrepreneurial orientation. We contrast the crisis imprinting hypothesis with a hypothesis from the more established behavioral theory of the firm. Strikingly, rich data of about 300 Flemish entrepreneurs and their ventures are in line with a small crisis imprinting effect.

Summary: The remediation processes in psychosocial crisis intervention were modeled focusing on cognitive orientation. Frequent observations and subsequent process modeling constitute a novel approach to process research and reveal process-outcome associations. A sample of 40 inpatients who were assigned to treatment in a crisis intervention unit was monitored in order to study the process of crisis intervention. The process data consisted of patients' self-ratings of the variables mood, tension, and cognitive orientation, which were assessed three times a day throughout hospitalization (M = 22.6 days). Linear time series models (vector autoregression) of the process data were computed to describe the prototypical dynamic patterns of the sample. Additionally, the outcome of crisis intervention was evaluated by pre-post questionnaires. Linear trends were found pointing to an improvement of mood, a reduction of tension, and an increase of outward cognitive orientation. Time series modeling showed that, on average, outward cognitive orientation preceded improved mood. The time series models partially predicted the treatment effect, notably the outcome domain “reduction of social anxiety,” yet did not predict the domain of symptom reduction. In conclusion, crisis intervention should focus on having patients increasingly engage in outward cognitive orientation in order to stabilize mood, reduce anxiety, and activate their resources.

During the COVID-19, Muslim entrepreneurs had to adapt to remain resilient. These Muslim entrepreneurs can rely on entrepreneurial personality and skill traits to survive a crisis. This paper aims to expand the analysis of the several contributing factors to the resiliency of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) managed by Muslim entrepreneurs, as identified in various scholarly publications. Additionally, this study emphasises the significance of entrepreneurial personality and skill traits, investigates the mediating role of entrepreneurial orientation on the link between entrepreneurial traits and SME resilience, and explores the moderating effects of Muslim religiosity. Furthermore, it delves into specific Islamic principles such as “ikhtiar” (effort) and “tawakkal” (reliance on God), which contribute to the resilience of Muslim entrepreneurs. This study centres on Muslim business owners of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in West Sumatra. The final sample obtained was 452 Muslim entrepreneurs. This research was conducted in 2021, at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings indicate that entrepreneurial traits influence the resiliency of Muslim entrepreneurs in two distinct ways: directly and indirectly via entrepreneurial orientation. This research advances the entrepreneurial literature in three ways. First, research on entrepreneurial resilience is extended, considering the different dimensions of entrepreneurial personality and traits (negotiation skills, risk-taking, optimism, locus of control, and need for achievement). Second, this study explores the mediating role of entrepreneurial orientation on the relationship between entrepreneurial personality and skill traits toward entrepreneurial resilience. Finally, this study specifically discusses Muslim entrepreneurs as research respondents.

Within the history of concepts, the conceptualization of time is central. Historical actors rely on their experiences for orientation in the present, and they produce expectations about the future. To imagine their horizons of expectation they need concepts about the future. When the future becomes difficult to conceive of for a variety of reasons, they take refuge in concepts describing unruly and uncertain times such as crisis or chaos. Times when the future is completely out of reach because the present seems unbearable might be termed catastrophic. Also, historians in general make use of temporal concepts to narrate their histories. They are like time bandits that manipulate time. Following last year’s conference organized by the History of Concepts Group on key concepts in times of crisis, this article takes issue with the discussion of concepts describing bad times within conceptual history.

Has companies’ strategic orientation become more important in times of crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic? Do companies feel the need to work strategically, and what impact can strategic management have on a company's profitability? The objective of the paper is to find out what features differ profitable companies from less profitable or loss-making companies in the current times from the view of strategic management. Features such as (1) the importance of vision; (2) orientation of strategic goals; (3) the activities of strategic plan creation were considered. The paper hides the answers to mentioned questions and the attitudes to the established research hypotheses. The research sample consists of 365 industrial companies. The Chi-square test, which measures the relationship between two categorical variables, is applied in the study. The results provide the knowledge that strategic research issues are a distinguishing element between profitable and less profitable or loss-making companies. It follows that strategic management is one of the necessary prerequisites for the company’s success, even in times of crisis.

Since more than a decade, the EU is confronted with a number of crises that significantly changed the environment under which the EU operates in the field of gender equality. Evidence shows, that in many European countries, the different crises have led to a deprioritisation of gender equality policies. However, the way in which the new Gender Action Plan for External Relations 2015–2020 of the European Union addresses and operationalises gender equality suggests in contrast a policy shift towards an intensified commitment and more comprehensive understanding of gender. Against this background, this article analyses, first, how the content and the conceptual orientation of gender equality policies in European Union’s external relations have changed in the light of post-crisis recommendations. Second, the article scrutinises the ways in which the European Union tries to tackle the credibility crisis through increasingly intensified and operationalised policy procedures. The argument put forth is that the gender-related indicators in the Gender Action Plan translate complex societal processes into a technical data-based framework and thereby depoliticise gender equality by simulating a technocratic, evidence-based and quantified form of politics.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to examine mental health during the coronavirus pandemic crisis and its explanation by personal and national level coping resources. This question was examined in the midst of a political crisis in Israel among voters from two different political orientations. Method: Questionnaires were delivered to a sample of 396 Israeli Jews, of them 180 (45.5%) right-wing and 216 (54.5%) left-wing voters. Right-wing voters presented higher levels of mental health during the crisis as compared to left-wing voters. Results: Right-wing voters also reported stronger levels of national coping resources such as sense of national coherence and trust in governmental institutions. Moreover, mental health was predicted only by personal resources among left-wing voters, while among the right-wing participants national resources were significant as well. Discussion: The results highlight the role of political orientation and low trust in the government as a possible risk factor for mental health even in times of global pandemic crisis.

During crises the newsmedia are expected to provide relevant and accurate information to help citizens comprehend the crisis and act upon it. As a source-driven practice, journalism relies on a variety of sources to validate news and provide perspectives. The disruptive nature of a crisis though raises questions about how journalists select sources and what these choices say about professional autonomy and criticality. Considering source choices as newsgathering venues and strategies, and drawing on semi-structured interviews with journalists in Greece and Cyprus, the study explores the factors that shaped journalists’ sourcing practices during the COVID-19 crisis. We find that journalists over-relied on political sources and selective authoritative voices compromising the tenets of verification and independence. The fear to convey inaccurate or ‘biased’ information amid disinformation flows, bolstered journalist's elite orientation. Professional precarity and economic pressures are found to further worsen the ‘lived experience’ of journalists limiting their ability to question and scrutinise power in times of crises.

Purpose Starting from the assumption that knowledge becomes all the more important for movements in times of crisis, as old structures are challenged and new ones envisaged and proved feasible, the purpose of this paper is to suggest ways to expand the toolkit of social movement studies in order to empirically address knowledge practices as a meaningful part of contemporary progressive activism. Design/methodology/approach The authors start by arguing that, in their effort to pursue or resist social and political changes, contemporary progressive social movements form collective spaces of knowledge production that are true laboratories for innovation. For this reason, the authors begin by making a case for accounting more explicitly for knowledge production within social movement studies - not as a substitution for but, rather, as a necessary complement to current cultural approaches. Building on extant literature on the nexus between movements and knowledge, the authors then outline the peculiarities of movement knowledge. Findings On these bases, the authors outline the core components of what the authors call repertoires of knowledge practices - that is, the set of practices that foster the coordination of disconnected, local, and highly personal experiences and rationalities within a shared cognitive system able to provide movements and their supporters with a common orientation for making claims and acting collectively to produce social, political, and cultural changes. Originality/value The authors conclude by identifying some promising avenues of research to further develop the understanding of movement practices of knowledge production and transmission.

This paper evaluates the impact of a large macroeconomic shock on poverty. In particular, we use longitudinal data from the European Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) comprising almost two million individuals from 29 European countries in order to quantify changes in poverty transition patterns caused by the 2007 global financial crisis. Because the crisis was largely unforeseeable, it provides an appealing natural experiment allowing us to isolate the causal effect of a substantial macroeconomic shock on poverty. Employing semiparametric mixed discrete time survival analysis, we find that conditional poverty entry hazards increased temporarily by 13.4% during the crisis, while post-crisis they are estimated to be 15.7% lower than before. Not only entry hazards have decreased, also conditional exit hazards are estimated to be 31.4% lower post-crisis compared to before. Ceteris paribus, the crisis therefore has made it more difficult to slip into poverty, yet those who were already poor face substantially lower prospects to escape. Exploring determinants of poverty transitions, we find that being retired, having a permanent job, owning one's dwelling instead of renting it, age, marital status, and household size are the most important protective factors against poverty. Finally, we show that mostly a housing cost overburden seems to be responsible for the persistence of poverty.<br>Series: INEQ Working Paper Series

Crisis represents an important contextual variable in the leader-follower relationship. Never is it as important as in times of “shock” when followers experience intense uncertainty and seek for sources of protection and guidance, that leaders are required to step in and find appropriate ways to alleviate fears, restore a sense normalcy, and maintain effective functioning. Over the years, studies from multiple disciplines have accumulated to a large body of literature on the topic of crisis leadership, informing the current understanding of how crises can be defined and the role of leadership in steering followers through them. However, despite a vast empirical base, important aspects in the analysis are missing, leaving the field to suffer from three fatal flaws. First, insights into the precise working of crisis leadership phenomena have remained restricted as the majority of existing studies limit their investigation to isolated and coarsely conceptualized crises. Second, past research efforts have focused on acute crisis management as the solitary leadership function, disregarding the potentially insightful study of crisis leadership across different stages of the crisis lifecycle. Third, a problematic imbalance is observable in the field that overemphasizes the analysis of particular leadership theories (i.e., charismatic-transformational leadership) to the neglect of testing the effectiveness of other leadership approaches as crisis responses. Altogether, there has been no effort to investigate crisis leadership in a systematic and integrative manner that acknowledges the breadth of what both the notions of crisis and crisis leadership encompass. This dissertation addresses these issues with the objective of gaining novel insights on the effectiveness of different leadership styles in different crisis contexts. Synthesizing the large and disparate body of literature of crisis leadership, the current work applies theories from the safety sciences, small group research, and the management field to widen the scope of previous analyses. Specifically, it develops a theoretical framework that integrates the insights gained from these domains by utilizing a tripartite crisis lifecycle approach, identifying the stages of pre-crisis, crisis, and post-crisis, as the basis for further study. Based on these stages, the notion of crisis is expanded by conceptualizing it in terms of (precursory) critical incidents, (acute) team crises, and (fully manifested) organizational crises. The framework broadens the research perspective by recognizing that prevention, intervention, and resolution of crisis are equally important functions of crisis leadership. Using this framework as a departure point for empirical investigation, relationship-based, motivation-based, and functionally-based leadership approaches are examined across the crisis stages in three empirical studies. Study 1 focuses on the pre-crisis stage and examines how relationship-oriented leadership forms support the preventive function of crisis leadership by promoting the reporting of critical incidents. Building on social exchange and social identity theory, this study disentangles how leader-member exchange (LMX) influences reporting of incidents in healthcare organizations through two different mechanisms. Using survey data of 15 hospitals in Germany (N = 436) and structural equation modelling, it reveals that LMX increases both reporting-specific trust and organizational identification of employees, which in turn positively affects reporting of incidents. Furthermore, top management support is found to moderate the link between LMX and reporting-specific trust, indicating a compensatory effect of LMX for followers who perceive management support to be low. In addition, codification of safety regulations is found to moderate the link between organizational identification and reporting of incidents, indicating that the institutionalization of safety norms through a strong follow-through of the organization facilitates reporting for highly-identified employees. The findings of Study 1 demonstrate that crisis leadership can be enacted at both the supervisory and top management level and illustrate that the resulting increase of followers’ crisis preventive behaviour can be motivated from different sources. Study 2 focuses on the crisis stage and examines how motivational leadership approaches aid the intervention function of crisis leadership by influencing follower performance in team crises. This study extends charismatic leadership research by identifying boundary conditions under which charismatic leadership in teams does not improve but can even hurt follower performance. Specifically, it proposes that while charismatic leadership generally leads to higher performance in team-based settings, the occurrence of a team crisis decreases performance. In addition, the follower attribute of self-direction is hypothesized to interact with charismatic leadership and team crisis such that charismatic leadership adversely impacts performance in a team crisis if followers’ self-direction is high rather than low. The theoretical propositions are tested in a laboratory setting that uses the cover story of a brainstorming competition (N = 88) intended to promote the sales of controversial consumer products, and experimentally manipulates team crisis in the form of value-based critical team events and leadership in the form of a rhetoric-based charismatic crisis intervention. The findings support the propositions of the three-way interaction. In sum, Study 2 provides first experimental evidence that charismatic leadership can have negative performance effects in specific types of team crises, if such leadership is enacted on highly self-directed followers. Study 3 focuses on the post-crisis stage and examines how functional leadership approaches assist the resolution function of crisis leadership in different types of organizational crisis. This study proposes that different crisis situations necessitate alternative leadership styles, which may additionally depend on follower characteristics. To this effect, it examines the interplay of (a) crisis types (sudden vs. gradual) with (b) leadership styles (pragmatic vs. charismatic), and (c) follower characteristics (pragmatism vs. idealism), hypothesizing favourable leader evaluations based on a principle of fit. The proposed relationships are tested in three experimental substudies (Ns = 62, 49, 204). Substudy 1 shows that pragmatic leadership is evaluated more favourably than charismatic leadership in gradual (vs. sudden) crises. Substudy 2 identifies the time horizon of crisis consequences as a further boundary condition and highlights that charismatic leadership can, conversely, be evaluated more favourably than pragmatic leadership if crisis consequences are perceived to manifest in the distant (vs. in the near) future. Substudy 3 replicates and extends the findings of Substudy 1 by providing evidence that the positive effects of pragmatic leadership are mediated by collective crisis efficacy and that this effect is enhanced for individuals high in pragmatism. The results of Study 3 indicate that both pragmatic and charismatic leadership represent a potentially effective approach to crisis leadership; however, their effectiveness depends on the specific crisis circumstances and the expectations that different types of followers have towards the ideal crisis leader. Combined, the findings of the three studies offer novel theoretical conclusions that are integrated in an overarching model of crisis leadership. This model advances four propositions concerning leadership in times of crisis related to (1) the formation of the leader-follower-relationship as a basis for crisis leaders’ social influence attempts, (2) the relevance of context factors found in the organizational environment, the individual follower, and the crisis itself, (3) the specific mechanisms that underlie the crisis leadership process, and (4) the different domains of organizational life that are affected by crisis leadership. The empirical studies contribute to research in unique ways. Study 1, in departure from research on organizations that have already achieved the goal of being “crisis-prepared” (i.e., high-reliability-organizations), extends the analysis to the healthcare sector by linking ideas and insights from the safety sciences with those from organizational behavior research. It tests a dual-process model of LMX that advances the social exchange and social identity literature and provides insights on how supervisory leadership interacts with higher level leadership functions in preventing crisis escalation. Study 2, in contrast to previous research on charismatic crisis leadership which has primarily found positive effects in large-scale crises, detects potentially negative effects at the team level. By applying a novel operationalization of crisis in the form of critical team events and considering the individual difference variable of self-direction, it adds to the event-based crisis literature and answers scholarly calls for a more follower-centric view of leadership. Study 3 takes up a new development in the leadership field by experimentally investigating pragmatic leadership approaches in a crisis context for the first time. It builds on a theoretically established, but as of yet empirically unexplored crisis typology in order to gain novel insights into the fit between crisis type, leadership style, and follower characteristics, and identifies boundary conditions in a moderated-mediation framework that simultaneously recognizes collective crisis efficacy as an important mechanism. Taken as a whole, the dissertation’s primary contribution is that it develops and empirically tests a theoretical framework that uniquely integrates multiple crisis conceptualizations situated at different stages of the crisis lifecycle with important, so far disregarded leadership approaches. In doing so, the current work informs the understanding of crisis leadership also from a practical point of view: The findings highlight the importance of leader adaptability and point out concrete ways of selecting and training leaders for assignment in crisis contexts. By virtue of a solid understanding of the nature of a crisis and its specific leadership requirements, crisis leaders can be better prepared to effectively engage their followers in different crisis situations with the aim of achieving desired outcomes despite difficult circumstances<br>Krisen stellen eine wichtige Kontextvariable in der Beziehung zwischen Führungskraft und Geführten dar. Nie ist es so wichtig wie in Zeiten eines „Schocks“, wenn Geführte intensive Unsicherheit erleben und nach Schutz und Orientierung suchen, dass Führungspersonen eingreifen und angemessene Wege finden müssen, um Ängste zu lindern, ein Gefühl der Normalität wiederherzustellen, und die effektive Bearbeitung von vorhandenen Aufgaben sicherzustellen. Im Laufe der Jahre haben Studien aus den verschiedensten Disziplinen eine umfassende Literatur zum Thema Krisenführung zusammengetragen, die zum heutigen Verständnis des Krisenbegriffs sowie der Rolle der Führung in Zeiten der Krise beitragen. Trotz einer großen empirischen Basis sind allerdings wichtige Aspekte in der Analyse bisher noch nicht berücksichtigt und das Feld leidet an drei erheblichen Schwächen. Erstens ist die Kenntnis zu den genauen Wirkmustern der Krisenführung bisher begrenzt, da die meisten der vorhandenen Untersuchungen ihre Analysen auf voneinander isolierte und grob konzeptualisierte Krisen beschränkt haben. Zweitens haben sich vergangene Untersuchungen auf das aktive Krisen-Management als die einzige Führungsaufgabe konzentriert, ohne die potenziell interessante Analyse der Krisenführung in den verschiedenen Phasen einer Krise im Rahmen ihres Lebenszyklus zu berücksichtigen. Drittens ist im Forschungsfeld ein problematisches Ungleichgewicht zu beobachten, das die Analyse von bestimmten Führungstheorien (insb. die charismatisch-transformationale Führungstheorie) überbetont – zu Ungunsten einer Prüfung der Wirksamkeit anderer Führungsstile als alternative Krisenreaktionen. Insgesamt gab es bisher noch keine systematische und integrative Untersuchung der Führung in Krisenzeiten, welche der Bandbreite dessen, was sowohl der Begriff der Krise als auch der der Krisenführung umfasst, gerecht werden würde. Diese Dissertation befasst sich mit diesen Problemen und hat als Ziel, neue Erkenntnisse zu der Wirksamkeit verschiedener Führungsstile in unterschiedlichen Krisenkontexten zu gewinnen. Die vorliegende Arbeit synthetisiert die umfangreiche und verstreute Literatur zum Thema Krisenführung und zieht Theorien aus den Sicherheitswissenschaften, der Kleingruppenforschung und dem Management-Bereich heran, um den Umfang der bisherigen Analysen zu erweitern. Insbesondere entwickelt die Arbeit ein theoretisches Rahmenmodell, das die aus diesen Bereichen gewonnenen Erkenntnisse integriert und einen dreigliedrigen Ansatz des Lebenszyklus von Krisen nutzt, um die Phasen vor der Krise, während der Krise und nach der Krise als Grundlage für weitere Forschungsbemühungen zu identifizieren. Basierend auf diesen Phasen wird der Begriff der Krise durch die Konzeptualisierung als kritische Ereignisse (Vorläufer einer Krise), Teamkrise (akuter Zustand einer Krise) und Organisationskrise (volle Manifestation einer Krise) ausgeweitet. Das Rahmenmodell erweitert die Forschungsperspektive durch die Erkenntnis, dass Prävention, Intervention, und Resolution der Krise gleichermaßen wichtige Funktionen der Krisenführung sind. Mit diesem Rahmenmodell als Ausgangspunkt für die empirische Untersuchung werden sodann beziehungsbasierte, motivationsbasierte, und funktionsbasierte Ansätze der Führung entlang den Krisenphasen in drei empirischen Studien untersucht. Studie 1 konzentriert sich auf die Phase vor dem Eintreten der Krise und untersucht, wie beziehungsorientierte Formen der Führung die präventive Funktion der Krisenführung durch die Förderung des Meldens von kritischen Ereignissen unterstützen. Basierend auf der sozialen Austausch- und sozialen Identitätstheorie zeigt diese Studie auf, wie Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) auf das Melden von kritischen Ereignissen im Gesundheitswesen über zwei verschiedene Mechanismen wirkt. Unter Nutzung von Fragebogendaten aus 15 Krankenhäusern in Deutschland (N = 436) und mittels Strukturgleichungsanalyse zeigt sich, dass LMX sowohl das den Meldestrukturen entgegengebrachte Vertrauen sowie die organisationale Identifikation der Mitarbeiter erhöht, was sich wiederum positiv auf das Melden von kritischen Ereignissen auswirkt. Darüber hinaus zeigen die Befunde, dass Unterstützung vonseiten des Top-Managements die Beziehung zwischen LMX und Vertrauen moderiert, was auf eine kompensatorische Wirkung von LMX für Geführte hinweist, die eine geringe Management-Unterstützung wahrnehmen. Außerdem wird aufgedeckt, dass die Verschriftlichung von Sicherheitsrichtlinien die Beziehung zwischen organisationaler Identifikation und dem Melden von kritischen Ereignissen moderiert, was vermuten lässt, das die Institutionalisierung von Sicherheitsnormen im Sinne einer hohen Implementierungstiefe organisationaler Maßnahmen das Meldeverhalten für hoch identifizierte Mitarbeiter verbessert. Die Ergebnisse von Studie 1 zeigen, dass Krisenführung sowohl auf der Vorgesetzten- als auch der Top-Management-Ebene stattfinden kann und veranschaulicht, dass die daraus resultierende Anregung der Krisenpräventionsbemühungen der Geführten aus verschiedenen Quellen motiviert sein kann. Studie 2 konzentriert sich auf die akute Krisenphase und untersucht, wie motivationale Führungsansätze die Interventionsfunktion der Krisenführung durch Beeinflussung der Geführtenleistung in Teamkrisen fördert. Diese Studie erweitert die Literatur zur charismatischen Führung und identifiziert Randbedingungen, unter denen charismatische Führung in Teams die Leistung von Geführten nicht verbessert, sondern sogar verschlechtern kann. Obwohl charismatische Führung in der Regel zu einer höheren Leistung in teambasierten Kontexten führt, nimmt die Studie an, dass das Auftreten einer Teamkrise die Leistung senkt. Darüber hinaus wird erwartet, dass ein Persönlichkeitsmerkmal der Geführten, die Selbstbestimmung, mit charismatischer Führung und der Teamkrise so interagiert, dass charismatische Führung sich negativ auf die Leistung während einer Teamkrise auswirkt wenn die Geführten eine hohe statt einer geringen Selbstbestimmung aufweisen. Die theoretischen Annahmen werden in einer Laborstudie getestet, die als Coverstory einen Brainstorming-Wettbewerb (N = 88) nutzt, bei dem der Verkauf von umstrittenen Verbraucherprodukten gefördert werden soll, und manipuliert experimentell die Teamkrise in Form eines wertebasierten kritischen Team-Ereignisses sowie Führung in der Form einer Rhetorik-basierten charismatischen Krisenintervention. Die Ergebnisse unterstützen die theoretischen Annahmen einer Dreifach-Interaktion. In der Summe erbringt Studie 2 den ersten experimentellen Nachweis dazu, dass charismatische Führung negative Leistungsauswirkungen in bestimmten Arten von Teamkrisen haben kann, wenn die Führung auf hoch selbstbestimmte Geführte trifft. Studie 3 konzentriert sich auf die Phase nach dem Eintreten der Krise und untersucht, wie funktionale Führungsansätze die Krisenresolution in unterschiedlichen organisationalen Krisen unterstützen. Diese Studie nimmt an, dass unterschiedliche Krisensituationen alternative Führungsstile erfordern, was zusätzlich von den Eigenschaften der Geführten abhängt. Zu diesem Zweck untersucht sie das Zusammenspiel von (a) Krisentypen (plötzlich vs. graduell) mit (b) Führungsstilen (pragmatisch vs. charismatisch) und (c) Geführteneigenschaften (Pragmatismus vs. Idealismus) und stellt die Hypothese auf, dass Führungskräfte bei Passung dieser Faktoren vorteilhaft bewertet werden. Die theoretischen Annahmen werden in drei experimentellen Teilstudien getestet (Ns = 62, 49, 204). Teilstudie 1 zeigt, dass pragmatische Führung im Vergleich zu charismatischer Führung als effektiver in graduellen (vs. plötzlichen) Krisen evaluiert wird. Teilstudie 2 identifiziert den Zeithorizont von Krisenfolgen als weitere Randbedingung und hebt hervor, dass charismatische Führung umgekehrt besser als pragmatische Führung bewertet werden kann, wenn die Krisenfolgen als weit entfernt in der Zukunft (vs. nah in der Zukunft) wahrgenommen werden. Teilstudie 3 repliziert und erweitert die Befunde von Teilstudie 1 und erbringt den Nachweis, dass die positiven Effekte pragmatischer Führung durch kollektive, krisenbezogene Selbstwirksamkeit vermittelt wird und dass dieser Effekt für Personen mit hoher pragmatischer Grundausrichtung stärker ausfällt. Die Ergebnisse von Studie 3 zeigen, dass sowohl pragmatische als auch charismatische Führung einen potenziell wirksamen Ansatz der Krisenführung darstellen; allerdings hängt deren Wirksamkeit von den spezifischen Krisenbedingungen sowie den Erwartungen ab, die unterschiedliche Geführte von dem idealen Krisenführer haben. In der Gesamtheit lassen sich durch die Ergebnisse der drei Studien neue theoretische Schlussfolgerungen ziehen, die in einem übergreifenden Modell der Krisenführung integriert werden. Dieses Modell trifft vier Aussagen über das Führen in Krisenzeiten in Bezug auf (1) den Aufbau der Beziehung zwischen Führungskraft und Geführten als Grundlage für soziale Einflussversuche seitens des Krisenführers, (2) die Relevanz von Kontextfaktoren im organisationalen Umfeld, in der Person des Geführten, und der Krise selbst, (3) die spezifischen Mechanismen, die dem Prozess der Krisenführung zugrunde liegen, und (4) die verschiedenen Bereiche der organisationalen Lebenswelt, die von Krisenführung berührt werden. Die empirischen Studien liefern jeweils einen eigenen theoretischen Beitrag zur Forschung. Studie 1, in Ergänzung zu wissenschaftlichen Befunden zu Organisationen, die bereits das Ziel der „Krisenbereitschaft“ erreicht haben (i.e., High Reliability Organisationen), weitet die Analyse durch Verknüpfung von Erkenntnissen der Sicherheitswissenschaften mit denen der Organisationspsychologie auf den Gesundheitssektor aus. Die Studie testet ein duales Prozessmodell von LMX, das die Literatur der sozialen Austausch- und sozialen Identitäts-Theorie erweitert und Erkenntnisse dazu gewinnt, wie Führung des direkten Vorgesetzen mit übergeordneten Führungsfunktionen bei der Verhinderung einer Kriseneskalation interagiert. Studie 2 entdeckt entgegen bisheriger Forschung, die in erster Linie positive Effekte charismatischer Führung bei Großkrisen gefunden hat, potenziell negative Auswirkungen dieses Führungsstils auf Teamebene. Durch die Anwendung einer neuartigen Operationalisierung von Krisen in Form von kritischen Team-Ereignissen und unter Berücksichtigung der individuellen Variable der Selbstbestimmung, dockt sie an die ereignisbasierte Krisenliteratur an und erfüllt wissenschaftliche Forderungen nach einer stärkeren Betrachtung der Zusammenhänge aus der Geführtenperspektive. Studie 3 nimmt eine noch sehr junge Entwicklung in der Führungsforschung auf und untersucht mit einem experimentellen Ansatz erstmalig pragmatische Führungsansätze im Krisenkontext. Basierend auf einer theoretisch etablierten, aber empirisch bisher noch nicht untersuchten Krisentypologie, eröffnet die Studie neue Einblicke in die Passung zwischen Krisentyp, Führungsstil und Geführteneigenschaften, und identifiziert Randbedingungen in einem moderierten-Mediations-Modell, das darüber hinaus die kollektive, krisenbezogene Selbstwirksamkeit als wichtigen Mechanismus identifiziert. Als Ganzes genommen ist der wesentliche Forschungsbeitrag der Dissertation die Entwicklung und Testung eines theoretischen Rahmenmodells, das verschiedene Krisenkonzeptualisierungen in unterschiedlichen Phasen des Krisenlebenszyklus mit wichtigen, bisher vernachlässigten Führungsansätzen vereint. Dabei vertieft die vorliegende Arbeit das Verständnis der Krisenführung auch aus praktischer Sicht: Die Ergebnisse unterstreichen die Bedeutung der Anpassungsfähigkeit von Führungskräften in Zeiten der Krise und zeigen konkrete Möglichkeiten der Auswahl und Entwicklung von Führungskräften für deren Einsatz in Krisenkontexten auf. Durch das genaue Verständnis der Eigenschaften einer Krise und ihrer spezifischen Führungsanforderungen können Krisenführer besser darauf vorbereitet werden, auf effektive Art und Weise ihre Geführten in verschiedenen Krisensituationen zu motivieren, um gewünschte Ergebnisse trotz schwieriger Umstände zu erreichen

The 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh extended a single, focal crisis organisation to ignite a catalyst for change across the fast fashion industry to create a crisis spillover. Through the lens of this global crisis, Coombs' (2007, 2015) Situational Crisis Communication Theory was employed to explore short- and long-term organisational response strategies through corporate social responsibility. The study found that crisis responsibility was not shared equally among implicated organisations and influenced variations in stakeholders' blame attributions. Through evidence-based guidelines, this study provides theoretical and practical implications for reputation management in light of a crisis spillover.

<p> How an organization responds to victims is central to crisis communication management and protecting organizational reputation. While there is significant literature about best practices for crisis response, one area which has not been explored is the relationship of empathic communication and corporate reputation during times of conflict. This study examined this relationship through a study of the British Petroleum Gulf Oil crisis of 2010. The qualitative study used focus groups with working professionals and personal interviews with communication experts. The research is grounded in Coombs' (1998) Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT), and Benoit's (1977) image restoration theory, which is used to describe how organizations respond to accusations to maintain a favorable reputation. The study found that empathy during a crisis has a positive influence on corporate reputation. This study supplements the existing literature on best practices for crisis response strategies. The application of this research is valuable to organizations because it will help them handle crises, protect its stakeholders, improve the conditions of its victims, and preserve their reputation. Further research is necessary to determine if the use of empathy during non-crisis situations also has an impact on organizational reputation, and to explore the relationship between the role of empathy and corporate financial performance.</p>

The purpose of the study is to explore in what ways leadership qualities such as delegation in the Fintech sector is different to that of traditional financial sector in times of crisis. The study is conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The findings of this study may theoretically add to the discussion topic for further research on leadership and delegation in times of crisis. From a practical perspective the findings can give leaders insight on what a select group of entrepreneurs in the Fintech sector perceive as important leadership qualities and delegation in times of crisis. A qualitative study was conducted featuring semi-structured interviews with nine leaders in the Fintech sector. An abductive research method has been used, moving back and forth between theory and research and from the empirical evidence identify the common themes of the most important in leadership qualities. The analyses of the empirical evidence showed that there are a few points that support both theory and practice in this specific crisis being, leaders in crisis need to be authentic, trusting, and transparent and have the ability to communicate it to the stakeholders. Although the leadership qualities in crisis varied, there were a few common themes; the importance of trust and qualities such as the ability to take decisions, give clear direction and communication are all in line with theory. What specifically stands out in the Fintech sector, making it different from that of more traditional industries, is that the leadership includes an increased willingness and ability to delegate. Delegation in times of crisis is important as it empowers the team which could further add to a positive resolve of the situation. One of the prerequisites to be able to delegate is the team being experts in their specific area, the other was their mindset and attitude. Fintech leaders also have the notion that leadership in crisis should be the same as is in times of non-crisis and it is imperative to continue to be delegating. The difference compared to more traditional industries can be contributed to entrepreneurial mindset of leaders in the Fintech sector being used to uncertainty and day to adversity of business survival, always ready to adapt their business model. An area for further research could be to do a wider scope and how the crisis affects other sectors.

The thesis seeks to examine how The Times functioned within mid-nineteenth-century British society and to suggest how the newspaper can be used to read the history of the period from the perspective of the dominant elements within it. It begins by analysing the uses made of the newspaper by historians and questions the assumptions which lie behind them. Chapters 2 and 3 assess the dominant role of The Times within the newspaper press and explore the relationship between the newspaper and its readers and their mutual perceptions. Chapter 4 analyses the structure of contemporary society and the common values which lay within, while the following chapter indicates the extent to which The Times in its treatment of the French revolution of 1848 constructed its version of reality within those values and thereby defined and defended them. Chapter 6 completes the location of the newspaper by considering the extent to which it was independent of Government, yet dependent on individual politicians. The locating of The Times within contemporary society enables its treatment of the crisis of 1848 to be critically examined in chapters 7 and 8. This reveals the extent to which events in London and Ireland were associated together and perceived as parts of a revolutionary movement which encapsulated the basic fears of the possessing classes and threatened their vital interests. In defending those interests The Times was at its most potent and 1848 demonstrated the ability of the paper to orchestrate and direct opinion on specific issues. The role of The Times and its importance are evaluated by means of the perceptions contemporaries had of events, the way they reacted to them, and the judgements subsequently made by historians. The thesis emphasizes the importance of The Times both as an agent within society and a source for the study of it.

La sottrazione in architettura, come deliberato atto progettuale, sembra porsi come un paradosso in quanto approccio apparentemente antinomico alla stessa natura del progetto e della costruzione, entità concepite, per convenzione, come esclusivamente additive e proliferative. In termini più generali, la sottrazione in architettura è l’esito di una rimozione parziale o totale dell’oggetto costruito, derivante da eventi esogeni incontrollati (disastri naturali) o deliberati (guerre, terrorismo), da azioni endogene mirate (demolizioni selettive, modifiche parziali o consistenti dell’esistente) o come conseguenza di processi di obsolescenza e abbandono (rovina). L’utilizzo dunque di un dispositivo progettuale/estetico come la sottrazione – sia questo come effettivo atto concreto de-costruttivo, sia come elaborazione estetico-formale di sottrazione simulata – si situa dunque entro un determinato milieu culturale di registro trasversale – dal più popolare all’accademico – che individua nelle forme del disastro, della rovina o dell’abbandono una sorta di narrazione efficace di un certo spirito millenarista contemporaneo. Nel campo progettuale questo approccio si manifesta tanto nella manipolazione “in negativo” elaborata sull’esistente, quanto nella produzione ex-novo di edifici in cui la sottrazione si presenta come elemento, apparentemente casuale, di discontinuità del rigore monolitico neomodernista. Entrambi gli approcci sembrano trarre dalle variabili indipendenti, anche le più estreme, che modificano ogni opera architettonica nel suo ciclo vitale (l’inesorabile degrado e tutto ciò che esula dal controllo del progetto o, in sostanza, gli “eventi” tschumiani) degli strumenti proattivi in grado di fornire nuovi o rinnovati paradigmi progettuali, mentre a scala urbana, la sottrazione si pone oggi come ‘cura’ necessaria soprattutto dove l’eccesso di materiale costruito in decomposizione, abbandonato o sottoutilizzato si presta a essere progettato ‘in negativo’, ovvero a ritornare a essere risorsa materiale nel circuito del riciclo e offrire i campi di proliferazione di ambiti di naturalità sempre più necessari in un’era di crisi ambientale.<br>Subtraction in architecture, as a deliberate design act, seems to be a paradox as a seemingly antinomian approach to the very nature of design and construction, entities conceived, by convention, as exclusively additive and proliferative. In more general terms, subtraction in architecture is the outcome of partial or total removal of the built object, resulting from uncontrolled exogenous (natural disasters) or deliberate (wars, terrorism) events, from targeted endogenous actions (selective demolitions, partial or substantial modifications of the existing) or as a consequence of processes of obsolescence and abandonment (ruin). Thus, the use of a design/aesthetic device such as subtraction - whether this is as an actual concrete de-constructive act or as an aesthetic-formal elaboration of simulated subtraction - is thus situated within a certain cultural milieu of transversal register - from the most popular to the academic - that identifies in the forms of disaster, ruin or abandonment a kind of effective narrative of a certain contemporary millenarian spirit. In the design field, this approach manifests itself as much in the "negative" manipulation elaborated on the existing as in the ex-novo production of buildings in which subtraction is presented as a seemingly random element of discontinuity from the monolithic neo-modernist rigor. Both approaches seem to draw from the independent variables - even the most extreme ones, that modify any architectural work in its life cycle (the inexorable degradation and all that is beyond the control of the project or, in essence, Tschumian "events") - some proactive tools that can provide new or renewed design paradigms, while at the urban scale, subtraction now emerges as a necessary 'cure' especially where the excess of decaying, abandoned or underutilized built material lends itself to be designed 'by reverse,' that is, to become a material resource again in the recycling circuit and to offer the fields for the proliferation of natural areas, increasingly needed in an era of environmental crisis.

As the problem of civil war is almost exclusively a problem of repeat civil war, this study seizes on the role peace agreement mandated dispute resolution mechanisms play in promoting agreement resilience to crisis. Despite the growing focus on prevention and sustaining peace, dispute resolution mechanisms in peace agreements remain understudied. This thesis contributes to this research gap asking, under what conditions do dispute resolution mechanisms promote post-agreement crisis resilience? This study argues that dispute resolution mechanism characteristics of structural adaptability and peace infrastructure integration promote post-agreement crisis resilience. Utilizing a structured focused comparison, this study examines all partial or comprehensive peace agreement mandated dispute resolution mechanism cases in the UCDP Peace Agreement Dataset 1975-2011 which experience post-agreement crisis and contain peacekeeping. Results show partial support for the hypotheses that dispute resolution mechanism structural adaptability and peace infrastructure integration promote post-agreement crisis resilience. Findings as well carry several limitations and also point towards the significance of other explanatory factors most notably peace agreement type.

The aim of the thesis is, at an initial phase, to go through the most relevant and existing bibliography regarding the leadership theories and styles. In a later stage, crisis situations and leadership will be analysed, taking into consideration leadership reactions and contributions to past crisis. Different crisis leadership theories will be reported and compared, trying to figure out whether the existence of a leadership behaviour and techniques, already discussed by the available literature, can best contribute to crisis resolution. Consequently, basing on the increasing trend of crisis occurrence during the 21st Century, a qualitative interview will be proposed to some selected leaders operating in national and international contexts with the aim to understand commonalities and differences among adopted behaviours during the ongoing pandemic crisis, that might decree the success, or failure of an organization. In the light of the results obtained, a final reflection will be made on how leaders can best deal with times of change and turbulence within their organisations.

AbstractStart-ups can contribute to improving the sustainability of business activities in our society. In this study, start-ups that participated in the Swiss Innovation Challenge, a business plan competition, were examined regarding their motivation to found a company. The research question is, which role pro-social motivations of entrepreneurs play in the founding of a start-up. This was examined with an analysis of the start-ups’ motivations in general and secondly with a detailed analysis of their sustainability orientation. First, in a literature review of possible categories of motivations, these were identified: financial motives, self-realization and identity, recognition and status, better working conditions, family tradition, and a pro-social sustainability motivation. Then, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the start-up teams and qualitatively analyzed. Many of the teams mentioned identification with the project and self-realization, this was the dominant motive. While most of the start-ups were profit-oriented, several interviewees also mentioned sustainability motives, with varying priorities. The range of sustainability aspects was particularly wide, also due to the very different business models. Founding teams that included sustainability aspects into their business generally had a higher sustainability orientation. Thus, raising the awareness of sustainable management issues, education, and training could improve the sustainability impact of start-ups.

AbstractThe following essay examines the mission of the School of Business at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland and the key question of what pro-socially oriented entrepreneurs can contribute through start-ups and SMEs to meeting the challenges of the twenty-first century. The mission is: “We educate innovative, responsible specialists and managers for an interconnected and ever-changing world.” Along the mission, it defines what can be understood by “innovative and responsible specialists and managers.” Next, exemplary challenges in the twenty-first century are identified under the keywords “interconnected” and “dynamic” world. Finally, the answer to the guiding question of the essay follows. With its fundamental character, this essay addresses besides other interested readers in particular business students and wants to stimulate them to think and discuss the orientation and the benefit of their “mission-based” education.

AbstractEntrepreneurship and Innovation (E&amp;I) is the theme of much interest in recent years. E&amp;I is expected to develop economies, particularly, emerging economies such as Vietnam. Vietnamese government has made a lot of efforts and policies to develop E&amp;I and achieved some good results, but, not as high as expected. The innovations in Vietnamese startups and SMEs are still limited. This chapter aims to explain the reasons for this fact. A review of data published by the World Bank, OECD, and GMI were collected to understand the whole picture of Vietnamese innovation. Then, two studies on Vietnamese startups and SMEs innovation were presented. Results of the studies show that Vietnamese startups with innovations just cover a small part of total startups, e.g., Vietnamese entrepreneurs are just a few among people starting businesses. The creativity is the main difference between the entrepreneurs and the others. Vietnamese entrepreneurs have a shortage of entrepreneurial and managerial competencies, hence, most SMEs do not follow entrepreneurial orientation to continuously make innovations. As such, their market competition, and development are also constrained. Some implications to overcome this innovation limitation are proposed.

Abstract Different disciplines have, over time, looked at trust from different standpoints and orientations. In rhetorical studies, trust is closely linked to the Aristotelian concept of ethos, one of the three artistic proofs (ethos, pathos, logos). The concept of rhetorical ethos invites us to reflect on the character of a speaker through the conceptual lenses of virtue, practical judgment, and goodwill to audiences. In this chapter, specifically, we conceptualise the ethos of science as a source of trust. Through a concise overview of some modes of public communication of science before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, we argue for an integrated rhetorical ethos for public scientists dealing with the crises of our times. This notion of scientific ethos recognises the rhetorical citizenship of scientists as key when experts exit the technical sphere and engage lay people in public forums (Pietrucci and Ceccarelli in Rhetoric &amp; Public Affairs 22(1):95–128, 2019). After reviewing the integrated ethos of the scientist citizen, we also discuss the challenges and opportunities of taking up a scientist activist expert stance and we conclude by encouraging public experts to cultivate a deeper awareness of the rhetorical contexts in which they go public in order to promote different types of public agency in times of crisis.

AbstractChildren and adolescents experience rapid changes due to development and growth processes, thereby necessitating adaptation and flexibility. In addition, young people also often face environmental crises or traumas, human-made catastrophes, or individual (chronic illness) or family (parent divorce, death of a loved one) crises. In the past, to facilitate young people’s adaptation to change, major aims of parents, teachers, and therapists focused on protecting children and adolescents from harm and helping them grow up in a secure environment. Over time, modern life and the influence of the positive psychology orientation have led to a shift in those aims, which now focus more on helping young people feel happy, flourish, and use their own strengths. A key element in making this process of adaptation to change successful is resilience. This chapter deals with the effects of changes, crises, and traumas on children and adolescents, while focusing on the importance of resilience at the individual, family, and environmental levels. This approach directs adaptation to change efforts towards the present rather than towards the past, thereby meeting the important need of treating children and adolescents who have experienced crisis and trauma by imparting them with skills for better coping today in their major natural environments.

This article represents an analysis of the impact on employees of insurance companies in Romania, of the changes that occurred following the crisis generated by the Coronavirus pandemic. With the implementation of traffic restrictions in the spring of 2020 and the introduction of quarantine in Romania, companies were forced to resort to alternative means of conducting and continuing the activity in safe conditions for employees. The main change was the implementation of work at home, doubled by a strong progress of digitalization in the field. The orientation of companies towards the customer, the desire to offer the most complete services and the need to work as much as possible in the online environment, accelerated the digital transformation processes, offering a new perspective to both customers and employees who were able to experience a large number migrating to work from home. This article pays more attention to the analysis of the direct relationship between staff motivation in the case of work at home and the results obtained, with the final result - the sustainability of the organization's activity.

Increased transport facilities have created national and international mobility for different purposes. This mobility, which is generally regarded in the scope of tourism sector, is also widely used for health purposes. Countries, besides their natural, historical and cultural riches, are engaged in transnational the protection of health, the elimination of diseases and the development of health. It can be claimed that countries have made important efforts towards attracting tourists in the field of health tourism.&#x0D; Health has always been a significant value throughout history and people have sought different ways to develop and improve their wellbeing. Advanced transport means and easy access to information have brought people to search for health outside of their geographical area. Health tourism has also begun to arouse interest as a result of these searches, especially as an important source of income in the international scope.&#x0D; Health tourism has the potential to be influenced by numerous factors. Economic crisis situations, political turmoil and social movements in the countries are some of the factors that affect mobilization for health. In this study, the impact of the coup attempt on July 15, 2016 on Turkish Tourism Industry is analyzed through analysis of secondary data.

The global crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic among the population and at the level of companies, state institutions, etc., underlined the importance of analysing its impact at different levels (intern, national and international level). The concepts of sustainability, development and growth must be aware, adapted and implemented more and more frequently, even constantly, in order to cope with the current evolution of the economy (and not only). The paper is an empirical research conducted in the North-East Region of Romania, aiming to analyse the impact of COVID-19 on local companies (especially SME’s), in the context of existing correlation between the COVID-19 impact on resizing, restricting, changing the number of active employees, changing revenue, changing turnover and changing profit, based on the Spearman correlation coefficients. In this sense, it was important to implement sustainability strategies and ensure the activity and resources of companies in the long term, because the effects of an economic crisis (natural resources, human resources, not only financial) are felt in 2021 and will be felt in the future 10 years. The paper concludes with two practical solutions to ensure the sustainability of the companies involved in the study, solutions that can be applied by all companies that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In general, as well as from a theoretical perspective, the management process is designed on a certain level of predictability and is carried out through adaptation, integration, etc. to the specific context in the moment of implementation. But in the last 2-3 years the management has had to suddenly and abruptly reformulate the ways to manage the achievement of the assumed objectives, especially the reinterpretation of risks and their management, because the predictability of the environment has become almost impossible to determine. The structure and components of risk, on the one hand, and their identification, monitoring and treatment, on the other hand, have become the main challenges of current management

В статье рассматриваются концептуальные и методологические аспекты психотерапии здоровых в период глобального цивилизационного кризиса. Обсуждаются нейропсихологические факторы психологической устойчивости и принципы её повышения психотерапевтическими методами. The article discusses the conceptual and methodological aspects of psychotherapy for healthy people during a period of global civilizational crisis. The neuropsychological factors of psychological stability and the principles of its increase using psychotherapeutic methods are discussed.

How are natives attitudes towards migrants shaped by economic crises? Natives could show more compassion towards migrants as everyone faces a common threat. Alternatively, natives prejudice could rise as competition for scarce economic opportunities increases. We conduct an online survey to 3,400 Colombian citizens and randomly prime half of them to think about the economic consequences of COVID-19, before eliciting their altruism and attitudes towards Venezuelan migrants. We find that natives attitudes towards migrants are substantially more negative in the treatment relative to the control group. Individuals ages 18 to 25 years, however, respond to the treatment by showing more altruism.

[This Report links with the video "The policy &amp; practice of drug, alcohol &amp; tobacco use during Covid-19" http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11911/171 ]. The COVID-19 pandemic is most notably a physical health crisis, but it strongly affects mental health as well. Social isolation, job and financial losses, uncertainty about the real impact of the crisis, and fear for physical well-being affect the mental health of many people worldwide. These stressors can increase emotional distress and lead to depression and anxiety disorders. At the same time, there are enormous challenges on the health care side. People in need of mental health support have been increasingly confronted with limitations and interruptions of mental health services in many countries. In May 2020, the United Nations already warned that the COVID-19 pandemic has the seeds of a major mental health crisis if action is not taken. The panel discussed and analysed mental health in times of the COVID-19 pandemic with reference to South Africa, Nigeria, Germany and Spain.