“This is a must-read handbook, especially important at a time of exceptional challenges for
all when the world is engulfed in multiple crises. It is a book that is not only relevant for
academics and leaders in education, going well beyond that; it gives all readers some
insightful ideas about what we can do to stop things from falling apart, building a well-
founded sense of hope. Most importantly, it invites readers to think.”

This chapter examines the role of crisis leadership in the higher education sector. It defines
organisational crises and elucidates five dynamics of crises that are particularly salient to
higher education institutions, they being the unexpected, public, high-consequence, novel
and ambiguous, and emotionally and ethically laden nature of crises. The chapter goes on
to explain the differences between crisis management and crisis leadership before exploring
key challenges to crisis leadership in the higher education sector. It then provides a brief�…