Erika Hayes James

Crisis Management: Informing a New Leadership Research Agenda

As the business community becomes more complex, crisis events are likely to increase in both prevalence and severity. Whether management scholarship has kept pace with this new reality is debatable. Moreover, much of the existing crisis research stems from a negative frame: crises are threats or problems to overcome. In “Crisis Management: Informing a New Leadership Research Agenda,” Erika Hayes James, Lynn Perry Wooten, and Kelly Dushek, published in the Academy of Management Annals, July 26, 2011, the authors review an array of crisis research and explore deviance, emotional and behavioral response to crisis, and issue framing as theoretically rich avenues through which to continue research on organizational crisis.

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Critical Leadership

Crisis Leadership

In a recent article called “Crisis Leadership” written by Erika James and coauthor Lynn Perry Wooten and published in the European Financial Review, the authors consider the prevalence and cost of business crises. They argue the need for more effective leadership at all levels of organizations and within all industries across the globe. They offer the principles from their new book on crisis leadership as a wake-up call for all current and future leaders, not to mention the business schools and other institutions that train them, in order to highlight the need for a changing leadership paradigm. Read Full Article

Exploring Positive Relationships at Work

In Chapter 7 of Exploring Positive Relationships at Work, edited by Jane E. Dutton and Belle Ragins, Martin N. Davidson and Erika Hayes James look at diversity among coworkers. The authors point out that building positive relationships across differences in organizations requires conflict as well as learning.
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In the wake of the financial crisis: rebuilding the image of the finance industry through trust

“In the Wake of the Financial Crisis:  Rebuilding the Image of the Finance Industry through Trust” by Erika Hayes James links the financial crisis with positive organizational management. When stable corporate entities, such as Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers, enter bankruptcy, a crisis is definitely occurring. A crisis is defined as a low-probability, high-impact event that poses a threat to a company’s security. What has now become known as “the financial crisis” has affected banks, but also insurance companies such as AIG, and automakers such as GM, Ford, and Chrysler. Perhaps because of what some would call the source of the problem, the subprime mortgage lenders, and their predatory lending practices, an environment of corporate distrust has emerged.
Trust is built when expectations are met over time. Companies acquire trust by fulfilling the public’s needs and avoiding negative outcomes. When a crisis happens, trust is disturbed. Confidence in the abilities of a company and a perception of honesty from its leaders are important to stakeholders. When stakeholders can rely on management to do the right thing, a relationship of trust exists. When that trust is betrayed, however, negative feelings and unproductive behavior can occur on both sides.

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A Woman’s Value(s): Evolutionary Psychology and the Differences in Compensation Packages for Male and Female Top Executives

“A Woman’s Value(s): Evolutionary Psychology and the Differences in Compensation Packages for Male and Female Top Executives,” by Christine Shropshire, Erika Hayes James, and Peggy Lee asks the question: What are the psychological aspects that may account for the pay gap between male and female executives? The authors use multiple samples and methodologies to try to answer this question. For example, they include the top executives of the largest 1,000 U.S. firms from 1990 to 2003, and they interview board of director members who have been involved in hiring and compensating CEOs.
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