Post-Crisis Leadership

Resilience, Renewal, and Reinvention in the Aftermath of Disruption

By Ralph A. Gigliotti

Rutgers University Press

Given the many pressures facing leaders across higher education, the work of crisis leadership remains an imperative for leaders at all levels. Attention tends to center on strategies for engaging in leadership both prior to and during crisis, often leaving the post-crisis period as an afterthought. This book introduces a research-informed framework for this critical, and often neglected, phase of crisis leadership. With an underlying commitment to values-based, principle-oriented, and people-centered practices, this framework consists of five leadership practices that are recognized as especially critical in the aftermath of crisis: (a) encourage learning, (b) inspire growth, (c) stimulate meaning-making, (d) pursue reinvention, and (e) advance renewal. Communication serves a critical role in each of the various dimensions of post-crisis leadership, and it is a communication orientation that can help to inform the paradoxes, processes, and patterns that arise during these periods of immense tension and, at times, transcendence.

Professor Gigliotti has been a leading voice in bringing principles of crisis management and communication to the context of complex organizations. Given their openness and range of activities, issues, and technologies, modern organizations and institutions are vulnerable to a wide range of serious threats, hazards, and disruptions. This work provides a comprehensive analysis of the essential role of the leader and leadership throughout the crisis lifecycle. Matthew W. Seeger, editor of The Handbook of International Crisis Communication Research

Dr. Gigliotti’s deep expertise in leadership development and organizational resilience shines through in this vital book. We are living in a perpetual state of crisis in higher education. This book is so important for us today and will surely be critical for us in the future. Sonia Alvarez-Robinson, associate vice president for strategy and organizational effectiveness, Georgia Tech University

In exploring the understudied area of post-crisis leadership, this book broaches significant questions about what and how leaders can perform leadership but also charts hopeful paths for reinvention, other-centeredness, and meaning-making. Rather than generic best practices, Post-Crisis Leadership offers questions to enhance proactive and systematic analyses and to facilitate learning and dialogue in the aftermath and in anticipation of crises. A thoroughly useful and engaging read for all organizational members! Patrice M. Buzzanell, distinguished university professor, Department of Communication, University of South Florida

Ralph Gigliotti recognizes the danger of resilience becoming an endless cycle of 'crisis, recovery, repeat'. As a timely alternative, his book provides a path for leaders sincerely devoted to creating meaningful, positive, and enduring change in response to crisis. Timothy L. Sellnow, co-author of Effective Crisis Communication: Moving From Crisis to Opportunity

In Post-Crisis Leadership, Gigliotti presents an insightful and timely exploration of the courage and curiosity needed for effective values-centered leadership in the aftermath of crisis. The book serves as practical framework for leaders navigating the turbulent waters that follow any crisis, offering a roadmap for survival, growth and resilience. A must-read for campus leaders seeking practical advice and strategies to navigate today’s complex challenges with care and compassion and a commitment to learning. Kathleen M. Scott, vice president, leadership development and partnerships, American Association of State Colleges and

RALPH A. GIGLIOTTI is the assistant vice president for organizational leadership in the Office of the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Rutgers University. He also holds part-time faculty appointments in the Department of Communication (School of Communication and Information), PhD Program in Higher Education (Graduate School of Education), Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (Robert Wood Johnson Medical School), and Rutgers Business School. He is the author of Crisis Leadership in Higher Education: Theory and Practice (2019).

Preface
Introduction. Contemporary Crisis Conditions and Theoretical Underpinnings for Post-Crisis Leadership
Chapter 1. Encourage Learning
Chapter 2. Cultivate Resilience
Chapter 3. Stimulate Meaning Making
Chapter 4. Pursue Reinvention
Chapter 5. Advance Renewal
Conclusion.
Acknowledgments
References
Index

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