Measuring the efficacy of leaders to assess information and make decisions in a crisis: The C-LEAD scale

Constance Noonan Hadley (1) , Todd L. Pittinsky (2) , Amy S. Sommer (3) , Weichun Zhu (4)

1 Harvard University
2 SUNY - State University of New York
3 HEC Paris - Recherche - Hors Laboratoire
4 University of Pennsylvania

Based on the literature and expert interviews, we developed a new measure, the C-LEAD scale, to capture the efficacy of leaders to assess information and make decisions in a public health and safety crisis. In Studies 1 and 2, we found that C-LEAD predicted decision making difficulty and confidence in crisis contexts better than measures of general leadership efficacy and procedural crisis preparedness. In Study 3, our measure of crisis leader efficacy predicted motivation to lead in a crisis, voluntary crisis leader role-taking, and decision making accuracy as a leader. Together, the studies promote the initial construct validity of the C-LEAD scale and a deeper understanding of the factors involved in effective crisis leadership.

Mots clés: leaders; leadership; decision making; self-efficacy; crises; public health; safety; role taking (Sociology)

Domaines: Management des ressources humaines

Constance Noonan Hadley, Todd L. Pittinsky, Amy S. Sommer, Weichun Zhu. Measuring the efficacy of leaders to assess information and make decisions in a crisis: The C-LEAD scale. Leadership Quarterly, 2011, 22 (4), pp.633-648. ⟨10.1016/j.leaqua.2011.05.005⟩. ⟨hal-00629566⟩