In Extremis Leadership: A Study of the Effects in Different Contexts

Abstract

When lives are at stake, astutely reading a situation (situation awareness) and belief in one’s ability to manage it (self-efficacy) are crucial leadership skills. Fire fighters, law enforcement officers and military leaders routinely enter dangerous, in extremis, situations. Data from these environments is difficult to capture, so there is a gap in the literature looking at the distinctness of these professions. We report on a survey of 514 military, firefighting, and law enforcement leaders examining their experiences during in extremis conditions. This study examines the moderating effect of four human qualities identified in that study (self-esteem, self-sacrifice, mental flexibility and altruism) on situation awareness and self-efficacy as they relate to performance in life threatening situations. We theorize and show in our research that differing priorities among the organizational missions give rise to disparities among the groups. Instead of routinely looking at all in extremis occupations as one population with identical roles, research into these differences should be explored further. Results thus seem relevant to most organizations facing lifethreatening situations, and each distinct group may benefit from different criteria for hiring, recruiting and training of personnel. The results may also be of interest to individuals facing tense, ambiguous, albeit less acute, circumstances.