Abstract:
There are various leadership styles practised by managers in different organizations
in different situations. Leaders can develop multiple mechanisms to mitigate
cognitive and behavioural risks and prevent future issues effectively. This research
study investigates the resonant and dissonant leadership styles applied by managers
in selected Sri Lankan public and private sector organizations during the COVID-19
pandemic situation, the consequences of applying each style and the implications.
Reviewing the existing relevant literature using a mixed-method approach associated
with secondary data and the personal interviews and participants’ observation have
been incorporated and 30 respondents in each sector were selected based on the
purposive sampling method to derive the findings. Results revealed that resonant
leadership style has dominance in the public sector organizations conversely, the
dissonant leadership style exerts considerable influence on private sector
organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic situation in Sri Lanka. Researchers
believe that since it is a life-threatening problem faced by the people globally, the
role of emotional intelligence among the managers also plays a vital role. Finally, it
is recommended that the hybrid leadership associated with high resonant and low
dissonant is appropriate and much effective for the Sri Lankan organizations during
this situation for their successful survival.
