Dear Mohamed Hassan

The relationship between leadership styles and crisis management ability is complex and multifaceted, as different leadership styles can significantly affect how effectively a leader navigates and responds to crises. Transformational leaders, known for inspiring and empowering their teams, often excel at crisis management by fostering resilience and innovation. Autocratic leaders can implement decisions quickly during crises, but they risk alienating their team and stifling creativity. In contrast, participative leaders, by involving their team in decision-making, can leverage diverse perspectives and improve adaptability in turbulent times. Arguably, the effectiveness of crisis management depends on the alignment between a leader's style and the demands of the specific crisis, highlighting the importance of flexibility and situational awareness in leadership.

I hope this helps.

A good crisis manager ability is part of leadership traits. Leadership style mean, "the ways" generally, adopted by a particular individual in managing his leadership challenges. Until and unless he is good crisis manager he cannot be a good leader. However if his ability to deal with various crisis situation is good, he may use a different strategy, each time he confronts a crisis. Resultantly, his leadership style would surely depend a lot on his crisis management ability.

I can recommend the book "Leading Beyond the Ego: How to Become a Transpersonal Leader" - Chapter 8, "Using Different Leadership Styles", which provides a lot of detailed information on you specific topic.

You can get an idea of the content of the book from the journal article you can find at Article Developing 21st century leaders, a complete new process: We ...

Leadership styles significantly influence crisis management ability, shaping how leaders respond to and navigate turbulent situations. Autocratic leaders tend to centralize decision-making, potentially expediting actions during crises but risking alienation of team members and stifling innovation. In contrast, democratic leaders prioritize collective input, fostering a sense of ownership and resilience among teams, albeit potentially slowing down decision-making processes. Meanwhile, laissez-faire leaders might struggle in crises due to their hands-off approach, lacking necessary direction and control.

Transformational leaders excel in crisis management by inspiring and motivating teams to transcend challenges with a clear vision and unwavering commitment. Their ability to instill confidence, adaptability, and a shared sense of purpose can foster innovation and cohesive responses to crises. On the other hand, transactional leaders may rely on established protocols and incentives, providing stability but potentially stifling creativity and adaptability during unprecedented situations.

Ultimately, the effectiveness of leadership styles in crisis management hinges on the context and the leader's capacity to adapt their approach. A blend of leadership styles, leveraging the strengths of each, often proves most advantageous in navigating the complexities of crisis situations.

Over the last many decades the definition of leadership and crisis have evolved . Most research and models of leadership were discovered during WW1 and 2 when Hershey Blanchart proposed the SLP ( Situational Leadaership Model ) on the quadrant of task and relationshp. This was very effective in scenarios with high command and control business environments and was the reference model till 2000. Crisis was defined as acts of large physical destruction to material and people . Hence High tak Orientation styles were termed as fire fighters or crisis managers.The trait was to be highly action and purpose oriented to resolve crisis. Most studies and model including 9 box were around task and relationship two dimensions . With peace time and focus on economic development around the world and introduction of technology the definition of workforce, work environment , risk have changed . The SLP 2 now talks about performance and competency as the two dimensions . Risks are not only defined as damage to material , it is broad-based to technology , brand , Intellectual property, cyber theft , high profile frauds etc. Leadership style has moved from fire fighter to anticipator , coaching to prepare people to proactively identify crisis and deal with it earlier than its occurence , ability to motivate people , manage information through digital and offline mode is another competency . Covid 19 the biggest crisis in a century tested the crisis management of all leaders . The styles were not just fire fighting but included delegation to team for various instructions , nurturant by counselling , action oriented to arrange for emergency supplies and team member by letting Covid warriors guide the protocol . To conclude definition of crisis and therefore the leadership styles will evolve constantly .