The Role of Leadership Communication in Building Crisis Readiness and Resilient Leadership in Times of Disruption: An Exploratory Study

In today's dynamic organizational landscape, workplace communication has become an essential competency for leaders at all levels. With a focus on the narratives used during and after organizational crises-specifically, public examples of workplace communication employed by leaders in a higher education context-this study examines how leaders can cultivate crisis readiness and resilience through strategic communication practices that build trust, convey stability, and strengthen institutional cohesion in times of disruption. Drawing on recent scholarship and public leadership examples, the study introduces a rubric for evaluating resilience narratives that aim to strengthen collective preparedness and adaptability. Framed by the concepts of crisis readiness, resilience, and resilient leadership, this exploratory research highlights how the use of resilience narratives as a form of workplace communication used by leaders can help to bolster collective crisis readiness.