AI-era leadership: probing leaders’ AI symbolization in crisis management in Jordan’s airline industry

With an escalating level of disruption and complexity, the success of crisis management depends more on the symbolic support of the leaders to new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). The aim of the research is to investigate why AI symbolization by leaders that is conceptualized as the observable encouragement and endorsement of AI in depth actions and artifacts is important in crisis response within organizations. Drawing on the contingency theory, we investigate what mechanism connect AI-symbolizing connect leaders to improved crisis management. Specifically, we test a serial mediation model where AI knowledge sharing (AIKS) and AI self-efficacy (AISE) explain the pathway from leaders’ AI symbolization to crisis management effectiveness. Data were collected from 343 executives in Jordan’s private airline sector as well as analyzed using PLS-SEM. The findings reveal that leaders’ AI symbolization significantly enhances AIKS and AISE, which in turn strengthen crisis management capabilities. In practice, the findings indicate that leaders’ visible advocacy for AI fosters an organizational climate that strengthens technological confidence and communication, particularly in high-stakes contexts. Moreover, the study addresses gaps at the intersection of leadership, artificial intelligence, and crisis management, offering a timely lens for rethinking organizational preparedness in the digital era.