Evaluation of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Turkiye in Terms of Leadership Styles and Behaviors: The Case of Fahrettin Koca

Abstract

This study was conducted to reveal the leadership styles and behaviors exhibited by the Minister of Health, Fahrettin Koca, in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic in Türkiye. It is believed that this study will make an important contribution to the literature on crisis management in general and the relationship between the Covid-19 pandemic and political leadership in particular by highlighting the relationship between leadership styles and behaviors exhibited during the pandemic process and the success of pandemic management. This study uses an exploratory case study approach to examine what kind of leadership style emerges through the example of Fahrettin Koca and how this leadership style affects pandemic management. This study used an individual interview data-collection technique. The data obtained from the study were analyzed using Maxqda analysis program. In this study, we concluded that Fahrettin Koca exhibited the most task-oriented leadership style among the leadership styles. This study makes an important contribution to the literature by showing that political leaders, in an effective fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in particular and other transnational crises in general, can behave in a way that includes not only one leadership style but also some characteristics of different leadership styles.