Managing People, Not Just Processes: The Art of Leadership in the Era of Disruption
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62872/frd12589Keywords:
human-centered leadership, disruption era, empathy, emotional intelligenceAbstract
This study explores the human-centered approach to leadership amid organizational disruption, focusing on how leaders manage people not just processes during times of rapid change and uncertainty. Using a qualitative phenomenological method, the research captures the lived experiences of ten leaders from various sectors, including education, technology, healthcare, and manufacturing. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews, emphasizing emotional dynamics, leadership values, and interpersonal strategies used by leaders during crisis situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic and digital transformation. The findings reveal that successful leaders prioritize empathy, authentic communication, and psychological safety to maintain team cohesion and morale. Rather than enforcing rigid procedures, they facilitate space for dialogue, reflection, and emotional support. Disruption is not only seen as a threat but also as an opportunity for leadership growth and value transformation. This study underscores the need for leadership development programs that balance technical competencies with emotional intelligence and relational awareness.
Downloads
References
Agarwal, V., Mathiyazhagan, K., Malhotra, S., & Saikouk, T. (2022). Analysis of challenges in sustainable human resource management due to disruptions by Industry 4.0: an emerging economy perspective. International Journal of Manpower, 43(2), 513-541.
Alexander, A., Blome, C., Schleper, M. C., & Roscoe, S. (2022). Managing the “new normal”: the future of operations and supply chain management in unprecedented times. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 42(8), 1061-1076.
Anak Agung Sagung, M. A., & Sri Darma, G. (2020). Revealing the digital leadership spurs in 4.0 industrial revolution. Asri, AASMAN, & Darma, GS, Revealing the digital leadership spurs in, 4, 93-100.
Bawany, S. (2020). Leadership in disruptive times. Business Expert Press.
Bawany, S. (2023). Leadership in disruptive times: Negotiating the new balance. Business Expert Press.
Berlanga, I., Pérez, L., Palella, S., & Cardona, P. (2024). Proposal of a disruptive didactic innovation for the development of leadership skills through the arts: Skills & Art.
Berman, E. M., Bowman, J. S., West, J. P., & Van Wart, M. R. (2021). Human resource management in public service: Paradoxes, processes, and problems. Cq Press.
Bolden, R., & O’Regan, N. (2016). Digital disruption and the future of leadership: An interview with Rick Haythornthwaite, Chairman of Centrica and MasterCard. Journal of Management Inquiry, 25(4), 438-446.
Brodie, V. K. (2019). Disrupted leadership: strategies and practices of leaders in a VUCA world. Pepperdine University.
Burton, S. L. (2021). Technological Digital Disruption in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: A New Paradigm for Leadership. In Cultivating Entrepreneurial Changemakers Through Digital Media Education (pp. 1-35). IGI Global.
Choi, T. M., Kumar, S., Yue, X., & Chan, H. L. (2022). Disruptive technologies and operations management in the Industry 4.0 era and beyond. Production and operations management, 31(1), 9-31.
Day, A. (2019). Disruption, change and transformation in organisations: A human relations perspective. Routledge.
De Cremer, D., Bianzino, N. M., & Falk, B. (2023). How generative AI could disrupt creative work. Harvard Business Review, 13.
Donald, M. (2019). Leading and managing change in the age of disruption and artificial intelligence. Emerald Publishing Limited.
Donald, M. (2023). How leaders can manage the disruption caused by the pandemic. Emerald Open Research, 1(4).
Dovey, K. A. (2005). Leadership Education in the Era of Disruption: What Can Business Schools Offer?. International Journal of Leadership Education.
Ellington, L. (2021). Leadership Disruption: Time to Reimagine Leadership Talent. International Journal of Business and Management Research, 9(2), 118-123.
Fadilurrahman, M., Ramadhani, R., Kurniawan, T., Misnasanti, M., & Shaddiq, S. (2021). Systematic literature review of disruption era in Indonesia: The resistance of industrial revolution 4.0. Journal of Robotics and Control (JRC), 2(1), 51-59.
Halimah, S., Yusuf, A., & Safiudin, K. (2024). Pesantren education management: The transformation of religious learning culture in the age of disruption. Nidhomul Haq: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam, 9(3), 648-666.
Harmey, S., & Moss, G. (2023). Learning disruption or learning loss: Using evidence from unplanned closures to inform returning to school after COVID-19. Educational Review, 75(4), 637-656.
Henderikx, M., & Stoffers, J. (2022). An exploratory literature study into digital transformation and leadership: Toward future-proof middle managers. Sustainability, 14(2), 687.
Herbst, T. H. (2021). Leading in times of disruption: Reimagining leadership and repositioning leaders. In Leadership-New insights. IntechOpen.
Hieker, C., & Pringle, J. (2020). The future of leadership development: Disruption and the impact of megatrends. Springer Nature.
Karpagam, M. A. (2024). Disruptive Leadership–The Role Of Emotional Intelligence. Disruption Management for Long Term Resilience, 117.
Kennedy, B. T. (2023). Disruptive Leadership: The Art and Practice of Leading Like Jesus. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Lewis, L. (2019). Organizational change. In Origins and traditions of organizational communication (pp. 406-423). Routledge.
Manu, A. (2022). Transformational leadership. In The Philosophy of Disruption: From Transition to Transformational Change (pp. 67-77). Emerald Publishing Limited.
Matarazzo, J. M., & Pearlstein, T. (2016). Leadership in disruptive times. IFLA journal, 42(3), 162-178.
Niederman, F. (2021). Project management: openings for disruption from AI and advanced analytics. Information Technology & People, 34(6), 1570-1599.
Pedersen, C. L., Ritter, T., & Di Benedetto, C. A. (2020). Managing through a crisis: Managerial implications for business-to-business firms. Industrial Marketing Management, 88, 314-322.
Petrova, E. (2024). Leadership Skills in Disruptive and Uncertain Environments. In Business Continuity Management and Resilience: Theories, Models, and Processes (pp. 61-77). IGI Global.
Rachmad, Y. E. (2022). Adaptive Leadership Theory. Albacete Cuchillo Publicaciones Internacionales, Edición Especial 2022.
Roblek, V., Meško, M., Pušavec, F., & Likar, B. (2021). The role and meaning of the digital transformation as a disruptive innovation on small and medium manufacturing enterprises. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 592528.
Sarkar, S., & Clegg, S. R. (2021). Resilience in a time of contagion: Lessons from small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Change Management, 21(2), 242-267.
Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times. Corwin Press.
Siebel, T. M. (2019). Digital transformation: survive and thrive in an era of mass extinction. RosettaBooks.
Supriyono. (2020). Improving the leadership quality in disruptive Era: Challenges for Leaders in Government Agencies. Technium Soc. Sci. J., 12, 185.
Viana, P., & Machado, C. F. (2025). Leadership, Organizational Culture, and Change Management: Navigating Complexity in a Disrupted World”. In Human Resource Management in a Disrupted World (pp. 163-192). Springer, Cham.
Winasis, S., Riyanto, S., & Ariyanto, E. (2020). Digital transformation in the indonesian banking industry: Impact on employee engagement. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 12(4), 528-543.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Firdiansyah Lukman, Giovanni Battista Puteri (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
