The Role of Adaptive Leadership in Times of Crisis: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Framework

Leading multidisciplinary teams requires not only strong leadership skills, but also a supportive organizational environment. This study examines the key characteristics necessary for adaptive leadership and identifies the main organizational factors that facilitate its development. A systematic lit...

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Main Authors: Michele Kremer Sott, Mariluza Sott Bender
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Merits
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8104/5/1/2
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author Michele Kremer Sott
Mariluza Sott Bender
author_facet Michele Kremer Sott
Mariluza Sott Bender
author_sort Michele Kremer Sott
collection DOAJ
description Leading multidisciplinary teams requires not only strong leadership skills, but also a supportive organizational environment. This study examines the key characteristics necessary for adaptive leadership and identifies the main organizational factors that facilitate its development. A systematic literature review, following the PRISMA-P protocol, was conducted, analyzing 33 studies on the traits of adaptive leaders and relevant organizational factors. Based on these findings, we propose a conceptual framework representing the feedback cycle of the adaptive leadership process within organizations and present three propositions associated with this model. The results indicate that the primary characteristics of adaptive leaders include flexibility, empathy, innovation, and long-term vision. Conversely, organizations possess factors that can either facilitate or hinder the development of adaptive leadership, such as organizational culture, structure, innovation history, and strategy. The findings emphasize that orchestrating adaptive teams during times of crisis is especially challenging, requiring additional competencies in resilience and adaptability. This study contributes to the literature by identifying the essential capabilities of adaptive leaders and discussing key considerations for leaders and practitioners seeking to transition from traditional to adaptive leadership.
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spelling doaj-art-fe0aa5a87274416abd1b8076f4bdf2592025-08-20T01:48:48ZengMDPI AGMerits2673-81042025-01-0151210.3390/merits5010002The Role of Adaptive Leadership in Times of Crisis: A Systematic Review and Conceptual FrameworkMichele Kremer Sott0Mariluza Sott Bender1Business School, Unisinos University, Porto Alegre 91330-002, BrazilDepartment of Health Sciences, University of Santa Cruz do Sul, Santa Cruz do Sul 96815-900, BrazilLeading multidisciplinary teams requires not only strong leadership skills, but also a supportive organizational environment. This study examines the key characteristics necessary for adaptive leadership and identifies the main organizational factors that facilitate its development. A systematic literature review, following the PRISMA-P protocol, was conducted, analyzing 33 studies on the traits of adaptive leaders and relevant organizational factors. Based on these findings, we propose a conceptual framework representing the feedback cycle of the adaptive leadership process within organizations and present three propositions associated with this model. The results indicate that the primary characteristics of adaptive leaders include flexibility, empathy, innovation, and long-term vision. Conversely, organizations possess factors that can either facilitate or hinder the development of adaptive leadership, such as organizational culture, structure, innovation history, and strategy. The findings emphasize that orchestrating adaptive teams during times of crisis is especially challenging, requiring additional competencies in resilience and adaptability. This study contributes to the literature by identifying the essential capabilities of adaptive leaders and discussing key considerations for leaders and practitioners seeking to transition from traditional to adaptive leadership.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8104/5/1/2adaptive leadershipleaderhigh-performance teamsadaptive teammultidisciplinary teamsreview
spellingShingle Michele Kremer Sott
Mariluza Sott Bender
The Role of Adaptive Leadership in Times of Crisis: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Framework
Merits
adaptive leadership
leader
high-performance teams
adaptive team
multidisciplinary teams
review
title The Role of Adaptive Leadership in Times of Crisis: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Framework
title_full The Role of Adaptive Leadership in Times of Crisis: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Framework
title_fullStr The Role of Adaptive Leadership in Times of Crisis: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Framework
title_full_unstemmed The Role of Adaptive Leadership in Times of Crisis: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Framework
title_short The Role of Adaptive Leadership in Times of Crisis: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Framework
title_sort role of adaptive leadership in times of crisis a systematic review and conceptual framework
topic adaptive leadership
leader
high-performance teams
adaptive team
multidisciplinary teams
review
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8104/5/1/2
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