ABSTRACT

"Adaptive Leadership in the Covid-19 Pandemic" examines the six leadership behaviors of adaptive leadership: getting on the balcony, identifying adaptive challenges, regulating distress, maintaining disciplined attention, giving the work back to the people, and protecting leadership voices from below, and demonstrates how those behaviors influenced the information technology department's actions for Beaumont Health during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Treating the most Covid-19 patients in Michigan had a profound effect on business for Beaumont Health. The elimination of elective surgeries was a devastating blow to the entire Beaumont Health organization and resulted in layoffs for nearly 2,500 employees and a permanent reduction of 450 jobs. Transitioning almost 3,000 employees of the Beaumont Shared Services building to working from home was a monumental IT task and was made more difficult by the sudden 25% reduction in IT staff. Adjusting to business during the pandemic was strenuous for the eight-hospital system of nearly 33,000 employees. However, embracing the six leadership behaviors of adaptive leadership allowed the Beaumont Health IT department to excel in the face of complex and unpredictable times.