Elsevier

Journal of Business Research

Volume 133, September 2021, Pages 354-364
Journal of Business Research

Being an ethical leader during the apocalypse: Lessons from the walking dead to face the COVID-19 crisis

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.05.008Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Leadership is accessible to everyone: even the weakest person can become a leader.

  • Leadership goes beyond charisma and skills. It involves motivations and emotions.

  • A successful leader does not have to be strong or make all the important decisions.

  • A good leader knows how to balance consultation and initiative.

  • Leadership styles should evolve and be adapted to the specificities of the context.

Abstract

This article draws on Gareth Morgan’s theory of organizational metaphors. Using imaginization, this research examines practices of ethical leadership during a crisis, using The Walking Dead television series as a reference. The Walking Dead offers an artistic representation of different leadership styles, with business organizations likened to groups of survivors. Its post-apocalyptic setting offers something of an analogy to the COVID-19 crisis. Each firm’s struggle for survival in the face of external threats is paralleled with each community’s struggle to protect members’ lives, preserve resources, and pursue development. The practices of the leaders in the program are compared to those of the leaders of firms such as P&G, Boeing, GM, Renault-Nissan, IBM, BP, GE, Berkshire Hathaway, Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Ali Baba, Netflix, Airbnb, Uber, and SpaceX. This paper illustrates why ethical leadership goes far beyond charisma and competencies to involve deep motivations and sincere emotions and why it is accessible to everyone through a process of learning and transformation. The study shows the need to adapt leadership style to context. Good leaders know when to step back, meditate, and be lucid. They balance consultation and initiative. They do not fear other leaders and mentor new ones.

Keywords

Ethical leadership
Business ethics
Crisis management
Organizational metaphor
Decision making
TV series

Cited by (0)

Oihab Allal-Chérif is a Full Professor of Information Systems Management and Purchasing Management at NEOMA Business School in Reims, France. He received a PhD in Management Sciences from the Grenoble-Alpes University, and he was authorized to supervise research (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches) by the University of Nantes. His research interests include information systems management and purchasing management in general, and more specifically e-business, serious games, digital transformation, cloud computing, digital heritage, and open innovation. His research has been published in highly ranked international journals. He also regularly publishes book chapters and case studies.

María Guijarro-García has a PhD from Polytechnic University of Valencia, a degree in Computer Science Management Systems branch from the UPV and a Master MBA by ESIC Business and Marketing School. She is part of the teaching staff of ESIC Valencia and director of the research department at ESIC Business & Marketing School, Valencia. In the field of research, she has focused her thesis and articles on customer relationship management and Marketing, with participation in national and international conferences. She is the director of the International Symposium on Applied Innovation (IMAT).

José Carlos Ballester-Miquel received a degree in Business Administration from the UNED and Industrial Technical Engineer from the Polytechnic University of Valencia. Master in Commercial Management and Marketing from ESIC Business & Marketing School and Master's Degree in Marketing and Market Research from the University of Valencia, he is a doctoral candidate from the Polytechnic University of Valencia. Founding manager of IBBA Negocios, S. L., a company dedicated to real estate brokerage, director of a Commercial Agency operating in the retail sector. He has been a collaborating professor at ESIC since 1998.

Agustín Carrilero-Castillo is a Doctor in Integration of NNTT (New Technologies) in business organization from the Polytechnic University of Valencia. Degree in Economics and Business Sciences from the UV. GESCO Master from ESIC Business and Marketing School. He is part of the ESIC Valencia undergraduate and graduate teaching staff and is the campus director. In the field of research, he has focused his thesis and articles on customer relationship management and marketing, with participation in national and international conferences. During his professional career, he has developed management tasks in multinationals and national companies in different sectors.

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