Leadership for Team Adaptation and Performance During COVID-19 Crisis and Beyond: An Examination of Leader-member Exchange and Leader Humility

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis, organizations have had to move into virtual teamwork settings overnight which had been daunting for the employees as they were not mentally prepared and trained for the change. As a consequence, employee turnover increases, if leadership is not skilled and trained for an effective transition and establishment of virtual work settings during the COVID-19 crisis. Theoretical and empirical evidence suggest leader-member exchange (LMX) and leader humility as effective leader behaviors for team adaptation and performance. The proposed study will conduct a longitudinal investigation of the effect of LMX and leader humility on team adaptation and performance during the COVID-19 crisis and as organizations come out of it. The expected results of this study will be useful for the leadership and teams in industries and organizations as they transit out of the COVID-19 crisis.