Do the emergency management and emergency medicine professions require a new leadership theory?

Abstract

[Extract] Leadership in extreme contexts, such as disaster response or emergency medicine, remains one of the least researched aspects in leadership and substantial effort is needed to progress knowledge in this critically important field (Hannah, S.T., et al., 2009a). In 2007/8, within emergency management circles and conferences in Australia, there persisted the notion that standard leadership principles and theories did not adequately explain the type of leadership demonstrated and required in organisations primarily concerned with emergency response.