Research Article
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Managing Chaos: Leadership in Uncertain Environments

Year 2025, Volume: 7 Issue: 2, 138 - 145, 31.07.2025
https://doi.org/10.51537/chaos.1606633

Abstract

The present study explores the effectiveness of various leadership approaches to improve institutional robustness and flexibility in higher education institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This cross-sectional study is based on multiple regression analysis to examine how traditional leadership methods impact chaos management and institutional change readiness in educational organizations. This study examined adaptive, transformational, communicative, empowering, and integrative technological leadership methods. This survey involved 250 faculty members in the region’s major universities and used structured questionnaires to quantify the leadership impacts. The findings indicate that the traditional methods of leadership do not enhance institutional robustness on their own. However, the integration of technological innovations into these methods strongly improves their explanatory power, suggesting positive effects on the dependent measures. This demonstrates the significance of technology in the management of leadership in complex learning organizations, particularly in social, political, and economic instability. Moreover, the technological integration of traditional leadership methods in leadership tasks would enhance its potential to provide the basis for reinforcing leadership roles in an institution. The findings revealed that educational administrators should consider technological advancements as a key component in strategic development to promote progress and robustness in educational institutions.

References

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  • Bishwas, S. K. and Sushil, 2020 Environmental uncertainty, leadership and organisation culture as predictors of strategic knowledge management and flexibility. International Journal of Knowledge Management Studies 11: 393–407.
  • Butkus, M., G. Schiuma, I. Bartuševiˇcien˙ e, O. G. Rakauskiene, L. Volodzkiene, et al., 2023 The impact of organizational resilience on the quality of public services: Application of structural equation modeling. Equilibrium. Quarterly Journal of Economics and Economic Policy 18: 461–489.
  • Butkus, M., G. Schiuma, I. Bartuseviciene, L. Volodzkiene, O. G. Rakauskiene, et al., 2024 Modelling organisational resilience of public sector organisations to navigate complexity: empirical insights from lithuania. Journal of Economic Interaction and Coordination pp. 1–27.
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  • Dolan, S. L., S. Garcia, and A. Auerbach, 2003 Understanding and managing chaos in organisations. International journal of management 20: 23–35.
  • Duarte Alonso, A., O. T. K. Vu, S. K. Kok, and M. O’Shea, 2023 Adapting to dynamic business environments: a comparative study of family and non-family firms operating in western australia. Management Research Review 46: 755–775.
  • Gelgör, E. and S. P. Can, 2025 Decision making in bank personnel selection using the analytical hierarchy process. Information Technology in Economics and Business 2: 12–17.
  • Hongchai, D. M. and C. M. Weber, 2023 Leadership for technology management in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (vuca) world: a review of the literature and a research agenda. In 2023 Portland international conference on management of engineering and technology (PICMET), pp. 1–23, IEEE.
  • Kartika, I. T. and H. Febriansyah, 2021 Leading and navigating chaotic situation: How leadership through resiliency play a role in the process of responding to emerging new situation induced by novel coronavirus outbreak. no. August pp. 11–13.
  • Khan, H. S. u. d., M. S. Chughtai, Z. Ma, M. Li, and D. He, 2024 Adaptive leadership and safety citizenship behaviors in pakistan: the roles of readiness to change, psychosocial safety climate, and proactive personality. Frontiers in Public Health 11: 1298428.
  • Lartey, F. M. et al., 2020 Chaos, complexity, and contingency theories: a comparative analysis and application to the 21st century organization. Journal of Business Administration Research 9: 44–51.
  • Lemoine, P. A. and M. D. Richardson, 2020 Planning for higher education institutions: Chaos and the covid-19 pandemic. Educational Planning 27: 43–57.
  • Mandzuk, D., 2024 On the edge of chaos: how the deans at one canadian university have managed to lead in the face of the pandemic and other sources of uncertainty and complexity. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management 46: 18–31.
  • Nguyen, T., L. Hallo, N. Chileshe, and N. H. Nguyen, 2023 Towards a sustainable integrated management approach to uncertainty surrounding covid-19. Systems Research and Behavioral Science 40: 819–835.
  • Pratama, D. R. and G. Suryosukmono, 2024 The influence of motivation, authentic leadership, and organizational culture on employee performance in the south bengkulu health office. SENTRALISASI 13: 83–96.
  • Ribeiro, M. F., C. G. d. Costa, and F. R. Ramos, 2024 Exploring purpose-driven leadership: Theoretical foundations, mechanisms, and impacts in organizational context. Administrative Sciences 14: 148.
  • Sánchez, M. A. and M. De Batista, 2023 Business continuity for times of vulnerability: Empirical evidence. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management 31: 431–440.
  • Shahi, S. G., 2024 Navigating uncertainty: How leaders can empower employees in times of crisis. In Energy Crisis and Its Impact on Global Business, pp. 238–255, IGI Global.
  • Shufutinsky, A., D. DePorres, B. Long, and J. R. Sibel, 2020 Shock leadership development for the modern era of pandemic management and preparedness. International Journal of Organizational Innovation 13.
  • Shufutinsky, A., B. Long, J. R. Sibel, and B. B. H. Shufutinsky, 2023 Shock leader mindfulness: An essential element for leading organizations through crises. In The Routledge Companion to Leadership and Change, pp. 203–218, Routledge.
  • Sinha, D. and S. Sinha, 2020 Managing in a vuca world: Possibilities and pitfalls. Journal of Technology Management for Growing Economies 11: 17–21.
  • Sort, J. C., R. V. Turcan, and Y. Taran, 2023 De-internationalisation, re-internationalisation and business model innovation: Exploring the intersection. Journal of Business Models 11: 77–96.
  • Su, R., B. Obrenovic, J. Du, D. Godinic, and A. Khudaykulov, 2022 Covid-19 pandemic implications for corporate sustainability and society: A literature review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19: 1592.
  • Swierczek, A., 2024 Driven by supply chain ambidexterity. substitutable and complementary effects of supply chain emergence and control on triadic relational performance. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management 30: 100894.
  • Taran, Y., 2023 The challenge of authentic leadership in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous business environment. In The Emerald Handbook of Authentic Leadership, pp. 125–144, Emerald Publishing Limited.
  • Tariq, R., Y. Wang, and K. F. Latif, 2024 The impact of entrepreneurial leadership on the project success: the mediating role of knowledge-oriented dynamic capabilities. Journal of Enterprise Information Management 37: 1016–1043.
  • Uhl-Bien, M., 2021 Complexity leadership and followership: Changed leadership in a changed world. Journal of Change Management 21: 144–162.
  • Yel, H., 2024 The effect of school principals’ quantum leadership behavior on organizational uncertainty. In New Perspectives for Leadership after the COVID-19 Pandemic, pp. 127–148, Apple Academic Press.
  • Zu, L., 2023 Overcoming sustainability challenges: The role of responsible management and leadership. In Responsible Management and Taoism, Volume 1: Managing Responsibly for Sustainable Business Development in the VUCA World, pp. 111–131, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Year 2025, Volume: 7 Issue: 2, 138 - 145, 31.07.2025
https://doi.org/10.51537/chaos.1606633

Abstract

References

  • Adobor, H., W. P. K. Darbi, and O. B. O. Damoah, 2021 Strategy in the era of “swans”: the role of strategic leadership under uncertainty and unpredictability. Journal of Strategy and Management.
  • Alsharif, H. Z. H., T. Shu, B. Obrenovic, D. Godinic, A. Alhujailli, et al., 2021 Impact of entrepreneurial leadership and bricolage on job security and sustainable economic performance: An empirical study of croatian companies during covid-19 pandemic. Sustainability 13: 11958.
  • Bishwas, S. K. and Sushil, 2020 Environmental uncertainty, leadership and organisation culture as predictors of strategic knowledge management and flexibility. International Journal of Knowledge Management Studies 11: 393–407.
  • Butkus, M., G. Schiuma, I. Bartuševiˇcien˙ e, O. G. Rakauskiene, L. Volodzkiene, et al., 2023 The impact of organizational resilience on the quality of public services: Application of structural equation modeling. Equilibrium. Quarterly Journal of Economics and Economic Policy 18: 461–489.
  • Butkus, M., G. Schiuma, I. Bartuseviciene, L. Volodzkiene, O. G. Rakauskiene, et al., 2024 Modelling organisational resilience of public sector organisations to navigate complexity: empirical insights from lithuania. Journal of Economic Interaction and Coordination pp. 1–27.
  • De Meyer, A., C. H. Loch, and M. T. Pich, 2002 Managing project uncertainty: from variation to chaos. MIT Sloan management review 43: 60.
  • Dolan, S. L., S. Garcia, and A. Auerbach, 2003 Understanding and managing chaos in organisations. International journal of management 20: 23–35.
  • Duarte Alonso, A., O. T. K. Vu, S. K. Kok, and M. O’Shea, 2023 Adapting to dynamic business environments: a comparative study of family and non-family firms operating in western australia. Management Research Review 46: 755–775.
  • Gelgör, E. and S. P. Can, 2025 Decision making in bank personnel selection using the analytical hierarchy process. Information Technology in Economics and Business 2: 12–17.
  • Hongchai, D. M. and C. M. Weber, 2023 Leadership for technology management in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (vuca) world: a review of the literature and a research agenda. In 2023 Portland international conference on management of engineering and technology (PICMET), pp. 1–23, IEEE.
  • Kartika, I. T. and H. Febriansyah, 2021 Leading and navigating chaotic situation: How leadership through resiliency play a role in the process of responding to emerging new situation induced by novel coronavirus outbreak. no. August pp. 11–13.
  • Khan, H. S. u. d., M. S. Chughtai, Z. Ma, M. Li, and D. He, 2024 Adaptive leadership and safety citizenship behaviors in pakistan: the roles of readiness to change, psychosocial safety climate, and proactive personality. Frontiers in Public Health 11: 1298428.
  • Lartey, F. M. et al., 2020 Chaos, complexity, and contingency theories: a comparative analysis and application to the 21st century organization. Journal of Business Administration Research 9: 44–51.
  • Lemoine, P. A. and M. D. Richardson, 2020 Planning for higher education institutions: Chaos and the covid-19 pandemic. Educational Planning 27: 43–57.
  • Mandzuk, D., 2024 On the edge of chaos: how the deans at one canadian university have managed to lead in the face of the pandemic and other sources of uncertainty and complexity. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management 46: 18–31.
  • Nguyen, T., L. Hallo, N. Chileshe, and N. H. Nguyen, 2023 Towards a sustainable integrated management approach to uncertainty surrounding covid-19. Systems Research and Behavioral Science 40: 819–835.
  • Pratama, D. R. and G. Suryosukmono, 2024 The influence of motivation, authentic leadership, and organizational culture on employee performance in the south bengkulu health office. SENTRALISASI 13: 83–96.
  • Ribeiro, M. F., C. G. d. Costa, and F. R. Ramos, 2024 Exploring purpose-driven leadership: Theoretical foundations, mechanisms, and impacts in organizational context. Administrative Sciences 14: 148.
  • Sánchez, M. A. and M. De Batista, 2023 Business continuity for times of vulnerability: Empirical evidence. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management 31: 431–440.
  • Shahi, S. G., 2024 Navigating uncertainty: How leaders can empower employees in times of crisis. In Energy Crisis and Its Impact on Global Business, pp. 238–255, IGI Global.
  • Shufutinsky, A., D. DePorres, B. Long, and J. R. Sibel, 2020 Shock leadership development for the modern era of pandemic management and preparedness. International Journal of Organizational Innovation 13.
  • Shufutinsky, A., B. Long, J. R. Sibel, and B. B. H. Shufutinsky, 2023 Shock leader mindfulness: An essential element for leading organizations through crises. In The Routledge Companion to Leadership and Change, pp. 203–218, Routledge.
  • Sinha, D. and S. Sinha, 2020 Managing in a vuca world: Possibilities and pitfalls. Journal of Technology Management for Growing Economies 11: 17–21.
  • Sort, J. C., R. V. Turcan, and Y. Taran, 2023 De-internationalisation, re-internationalisation and business model innovation: Exploring the intersection. Journal of Business Models 11: 77–96.
  • Su, R., B. Obrenovic, J. Du, D. Godinic, and A. Khudaykulov, 2022 Covid-19 pandemic implications for corporate sustainability and society: A literature review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19: 1592.
  • Swierczek, A., 2024 Driven by supply chain ambidexterity. substitutable and complementary effects of supply chain emergence and control on triadic relational performance. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management 30: 100894.
  • Taran, Y., 2023 The challenge of authentic leadership in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous business environment. In The Emerald Handbook of Authentic Leadership, pp. 125–144, Emerald Publishing Limited.
  • Tariq, R., Y. Wang, and K. F. Latif, 2024 The impact of entrepreneurial leadership on the project success: the mediating role of knowledge-oriented dynamic capabilities. Journal of Enterprise Information Management 37: 1016–1043.
  • Uhl-Bien, M., 2021 Complexity leadership and followership: Changed leadership in a changed world. Journal of Change Management 21: 144–162.
  • Yel, H., 2024 The effect of school principals’ quantum leadership behavior on organizational uncertainty. In New Perspectives for Leadership after the COVID-19 Pandemic, pp. 127–148, Apple Academic Press.
  • Zu, L., 2023 Overcoming sustainability challenges: The role of responsible management and leadership. In Responsible Management and Taoism, Volume 1: Managing Responsibly for Sustainable Business Development in the VUCA World, pp. 111–131, Emerald Publishing Limited.
There are 31 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Finance and Investment (Other)
Journal Section Research Articles
Authors

Ghayur Ahmad 0000-0001-8167-7424

Bassem E. Maamari This is me 0000-0003-1294-6840

Publication Date July 31, 2025
Submission Date December 24, 2024
Acceptance Date May 3, 2025
Published in Issue Year 2025 Volume: 7 Issue: 2

Cite

APA Ahmad, G., & Maamari, B. E. (2025). Managing Chaos: Leadership in Uncertain Environments. Chaos Theory and Applications, 7(2), 138-145. https://doi.org/10.51537/chaos.1606633

Chaos Theory and Applications in Applied Sciences and Engineering: An interdisciplinary journal of nonlinear science 23830 28903   

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