Values of a Manager during COVID-19 Pandemic

E. S. Gurenko

and E. G. Karpova

Department of Sociology and Advertising Communications, Russian State University named after

A.N. Kosygin (Technologies. Design. Art), ul. Sadovnicheskaya 33, Moscow, Russia

Russian State University named after A.N. Kosygin (Technologies. Design. Art), Moscow, Russia

Keywords: Values, Value Orientations, Value Orientations of the Manager, Pandemic, Management Activities, Business

in the Pandemic.

Abstract: In this article, we will examine the values and value orientations of the modern manager in the business area

through the prism of the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, it touches upon the impact of the pandemic on

the value system of the manager and the management system as a whole. The topic relevance is determined

by the complex and dynamic nature of today's crisis. That’s why effective business management requires from

managers not only quick reaction and non-standard solutions but also a change in behaviour, which should be

based on the value principles.

1 INTRODUCTION

The last two years have already gone down in history

as the time of the largest pandemic of our time. There

is not a single country in the world without cases of

acute respiratory viral infection COVID-19.

Hundreds of thousands of deaths, millions of people

affected by the disease (potentially with long lasting

health consequences), closed borders, trade

disruptions, disorganized communities and breach of

the routine way of life of individuals – it's just a small

fraction of what's going on.

The pandemic had become a special test for

managers of all sectors and levels, as they had to be

among the first to respond to the direct and indirect

crisis consequences with little time to prepare and in

an ever-changing environment. The uncertainty has

only exacerbated the existing serious problems of the

economy and business, requiring them to react

quickly and make non-standard decisions.

There are many examples of successful

management strategies during the crisis, for example,

in the military or emergency management sectors.

However, the peculiarity of today's coronavirus crisis

is that effective management of the situation requires

a dramatic change in people's behaviour, motivations,

and principles. Therefore, the new COVID-19

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2237-4033

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4062-8957

pandemic is primarily a reflection of the public’s faith

in the entire management system.

In this regard, there is an objective necessity to

establish and improve the methods and mechanisms

of anti-crisis management, including the

implementation of digital solutions, taking into

account the transformation of all value systems in

overcoming the pandemic consequences.

2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Many works of national and foreign researchers,

starting with the fundamental works of the classics

(K. Marx, H. Minsky, J.A. Hobsky, N.D. Kondratyev,

Y.I. Kuzmin, and others) and ending with works that

address more narrow issues, such as countering crises

or addressing the lack of funding (A.V. Lukyanov,

O.A. Kotlyarov, S. Kraus, N. Yamori, and others) are

devoted to studying of crises, uncertainty, and risks in

the economy.

Studies on assessing the impact of the pandemic

and related business constraints have also already

been developed in the scientific literature (L. Harris,

F. Kock, N.A. Gromov, N.V. Altufieva, etc.).

However, despite the large number of theoretical and

practical studies conducted by scientists around the

Gurenko, E. and Karpova, E.

Values of a Manager during COVID-19 Pandemic.

DOI: 10.5220/0011120600003439

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Scientiﬁc and Practical Conference "COVID-19: Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals" (RTCOV 2021), pages 357-361

ISBN: 978-989-758-617-0

357

world, such aspects of this problem as, for example,

the value aspect, remain nearly untouched. This

confirms the relevance of our work and defines its

goal and objectives.

As a theoretical basis of the research, we relied on

the works of national and foreign scientists in the field

of management, anti-crisis management, planning

and forecasting, as well as relevant Internet sources in

the public domain.

As the methodological basis of the research, we

used the ideas and concepts presented in the works

and publications of modern scientists on value issues

in the management system, as well as our own data

obtained by snowballing (130 respondents as of

15/11/2021) and statistical analysis.

The goal of the research is to identify the

peculiarities of the value orientation system of the

modern manager in the business environment under

unstable conditions caused by the coronavirus

infection COVID-19.

This goal dictates the following objectives:

 consider the impact of the pandemic on the

behaviour of people in general;

 to identify the peculiarities of management

activity in the business area in the pandemic era;

 to consider the change in the value system of the

modern manager under conditions caused by the

coronavirus infection;

 to model the profile of a manager who will be

able to cope with the coronavirus crisis and bring

the business to a new level, adapting it to the

new realities.

The object of the research is the value system of

the modern manager during the pandemic.

The subject of the research is organizational and

management relations arising in the implementation

of management procedures and business adaptation to

the new realities caused by the pandemic.

3 RESEARCH RESULTS

3.1 Man in the Age of COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic has become a great

challenge for the modern man. But perhaps this shock

was needed today so that people would finally think

about their future.

Some researchers when considering the impact of

the pandemic on a human personality propose to pay

attention not to changes but to their reason

(Mamedyarov, 2021). Here the value factor comes to

the fore as the motivational basis for human

behaviour. Faced with a world of uncertainty and

ambiguity during the pandemic, a person ceases to be

guided by the rules of law (required behaviour

compelling) and begins to rely on his own system of

values, acting "with the heart". And what ethical

principles society will adhere to after the pandemic

will depend on the future, as changes in the system of

values have already occurred – toward a more

considerate attitude toward one's health and the health

of loved ones, social contacts, and safety.

Other researchers believe that it will only be

possible to tell how people have changed due to the

pandemic just in a few years. At the same time, they

do not deny recent changes in people's thinking,

which the pandemic has only accelerated (Waldkirch,

2021).

Still others call the pandemic an anti-utopia,

emphasizing that the changes that have occurred in

the world today have not yet been fully understood or

experienced by man (Moustafa, 2021). And many

people will not be able to jump straight back in (for

example, to go back to work in the office after remote

mode) because people will be different and gradually

want to live a little differently.

3.2 Economy and Business during the

Pandemic

The pandemic has had a huge impact not only on

human life, it has also affected the entire economy.

For example, the IMF estimates the decrease in the

world economy by 4.4% just in 2020, the worst

decline since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The

only major economy that grew in 2020 was China.

Here the growth of 2.3% (Perova, 2020) has been

registered. Most countries are still in stagnation or

even recession. All industries lost, but the sectors that

suffered the most were those directly related to

consumption: trade, catering, tourism, transport,

services.

Nevertheless, as with any crisis that leads to some

kind of change, it is possible to identify the negative

and positive aspects of the impact. Moreover, some

experts even identify the trends that characterise the

global economy that have become increasingly

visible since the beginning of the pandemic. The main

ones are renationalization, technological

development and digitalization (Razumova,

Sadovaya, Chubarova, 2020). That is, we see that

more and more states are now focusing on their own

interests, guided by the principle "reliability is more

important than profitability". The most successful

companies are those that work in the field of

information technology. For example, if in Russia in

2014-2015 this industry experienced a noticeable

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decline due to the confrontation with the West (brain

drain, mutual sanctions, restrictions on projects), then

the pandemic, on the contrary, gave incentives for its

development. The transition to remote work for a

huge number of people and institutions required the

IT industry to meet new needs, including those related

to digital solutions (videoconferencing, online

learning, "home office", etc.). Moreover, today we

see people easily and happily using the online

payment for utilities, ordering food, making medical

appointments remotely, and even taking part in

elections or population censuses.

At the same time, the labor market is also

undergoing bad times, not only due to upcoming

reorganization in many sectors in the long term, but

also because companies are in principle hiring fewer

people. Digitalization is not the least, as the pandemic

has revealed many weaknesses in this area and

didactic skills in working with digital platforms.

And while the world's governments are looking

for a way out of the current economic situation,

business leaders are trying to optimize the entire

management system, adjusting to the new realities of

quarantine, self-isolation, and other restrictions.

When it comes to a complex, interdependent

problem, the only way to establish long-term business

sustainability is to focus on strategies optimizing the

entire system rather than damaging parts of it

(Hidalgo, Rodrigues-Vega, Perez-Fernandez, 2021).

As an example, many employers have taken

comprehensive measures that focused not only on

keeping their teams healthy and preventing the spread

of coronavirus but also on increasing business

sustainability and profits. They decided to pay each

employee a percentage of his/her salary for three (or

more) months after the restrictive measures were put

in place (Odegov, Razinov, 2021). This has helped

them retain talented, hard-working employees, and in

turn has given employees the financial security of

being able to pay bills and buy the basic necessities

of life while being "sheltered" locally. Such responses

have increased employees' confidence in their

management, giving a sense of their health gain due

to such strategy as the employer continues to support

them with a guaranteed and stable salary.

Strategy and management activities based on a

system approach are strengthened when critical data

are generated and understood (Vyachin, 2007). In real

life, we generate data that relate to individual parts of

the system. An interdependent system (pandemic)

involves sharing and processing data from the entire

system so that each participant can access important

information for individual, unique adaptation, and

modernization. That is, data helps not only make

better decisions, but also improves the efficiency of

the entire system, particularly the business. As an

example, the companies (mostly Asian) which

managers used reliable data to develop strategies to

protect the health of their employees. Even in the

early stages of the pandemic, with government

support, they conducted extensive testing to

understand the scale of the problem in their countries.

To do so, they used a variety of data, including data

from social media, and tracked contacts to understand

how the infection was spreading among staff (Ting,

Ling, Cheah, 2020). The lack of such data in other

companies resulted in weak strategies to protect the

health of staff (and the population as a whole) and a

much less effective response, which affected business

success and growth accordingly.

But it is not always possible to implement such

measures due to various circumstances. Therefore, to

ensure that management decisions are implemented

properly and for the benefit of the organization, in

addition to a systematic approach, it is necessary to

introduce a value-based approach, which at least will

increase the level of confidence in the management.

3.3 Values of the Manager

To be sure, the coronavirus pandemic places

extraordinary demands on managers in the business.

The extent of the outbreak and its unpredictability

make it difficult to respond, causing disorientation, a

sense of loss of control and severe emotional burnout.

But when managers' reactions to a crisis are value-

based, they create a common sense of purpose across

the team. In other words, personal and professional

values that support managers' actions in the face of

adversity become the driving basis for management

decisions that will protect employee health, sufficient

productivity, and the financial stability of the

business.

Here, among other things, honesty comes first.

That is, managers must speak openly about the

existing crisis, which did not come suddenly, but

grew out of circumstances concealing its nature. To

see the slow-growing crisis for what it may become,

managers need to overcome the normalcy bias that

can cause them to underestimate both the possibilities

of the crisis and its consequences.

Next is empathy. Strong empathic responses are

especially important in those moments when life

literally hangs in the balance. Responses in which the

managers acknowledge the existence of "illness," the

possible effects of social constraints related to work

and relationships, show a close connection to the

team, as does a personal appreciation for the

Values of a Manager during COVID-19 Pandemic

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individual employee or group of employees for their

efforts and commitment. Employees are more likely

to forgive their manager for less favourable results

(also financial ones) if they believe that the methods

and tools the manager used in making decisions to

achieve those results were reasonable.

The next value is trust. It is what allows a person

with less knowledge and power (subordinates) to rely

on another person (manager) to make decisions

consistent with his/her view on what constitutes well-

being. As a rule, trust is created through actions

(Yoder-Wise, 2020). This could be, for example,

planning that takes into account not only previous

experience with a pandemic, but also the unforeseen

social, economic, and personal effects of the crisis, or

providing information from reliable sources.

Openness and transparency are closely related to

trust – they are a prerequisite for maintaining it.

According to our survey, both parties are involved in

creating and maintaining trust-based relationships,

which is especially important when delegating

specific tasks, when a manager wants to share the

decision-making (64% of our survey respondents) or

fully trusts the execution of the task and responsibility

for it to the team (6.7%). This in itself requires a

willingness to take risks and show vulnerability.

In turn, to delegate means to give freedom, which

during the pandemic has taken on a literal meaning.

Employees working "remotely" now have

opportunities that they did not have before: more time

for family, reduced commuting costs, more

organizational space, etc. And managers have more

freedom in management, that is, more opportunities

to make management decisions independently, using

the necessary resources, and to act on the basis of

personal thinking in relation to specific

organizational activities within the organizational

culture (Tikhonova, Zaitseva, 2017). Also note that

freedom (any) during a pandemic is also a

responsibility, as the behaviour of each individual,

and the manager, in particular, will have far-reaching

consequences for him personally, for society, for the

entire organization, and possibly for the entire

country (world). In other words, according to the

majority of managers who participated in our survey,

the greater the managerial freedom, the greater the

degree of managerial responsibility (66.7% – fully

agree, 18.7% – partially agree).

The value of teamwork has also taken on new

significance during the pandemic. To withstand such

a global crisis, managers need to implement new

strategies of communication and cooperation with

other people, ensuring the safety and involvement of

every employee. To achieve success in business,

according to the respondents of our questionnaire, it

becomes a team of professionals (56%) rather than

customer focus (22.7%), market research (12%),

availability of innovative product (4%) or knowledge

in a particular area (1,3%).

4 DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

The results of our research have shown that the

current epidemiological situation in the world offers

many opportunities for assessment, study, and

management analysis. The coronavirus pandemic is a

complex and dynamic process involving a number of

systems, including public health, economy,

environment, social, technical, time factors, etc. They

are all interconnected, which in turn creates even

more variables that change limitations and

opportunities. And these dynamics require us to take

an integrated approach to study this issue.

The pandemic had a profound effect on all sectors

of the economy. Nevertheless, it has survived, not

least because of the smart actions of business leaders.

Some paid attention to digital opportunities, trying

new strategies, and now they have different priorities

for the next year. Others have managed to realize their

ambitious ideas through out-of-the-box solutions and

foresight. One thing is clear, the pandemic has forced

all managers without exception to transform their

value orientations and reconsider their views on

management activities and their role as a manager.

At the same time, the consequences of the

pandemic and all kinds of restrictions are felt today

by almost everyone in his/her workplace. A huge

number of people lost their jobs, and many had to

work from home and change the way they interact

with colleagues and clients. An interesting fact was

that despite the great freedom (floating work

schedule, time and money savings, ability to work

from anywhere in the world, etc.) offered by remote

work, many people cannot perceive this format as a

way to earn a living and do not find satisfaction in

such work. This also includes the risk of isolation

(especially for single people) or loss of direct contact

with other employees.

Answering the question of what is the main

quality that characterizes a modern manager when all

management activity is under such great pressure, let

us say that it is trust. And since the key driver of trust

in a manager of any level is his competence and the

values to inspire trust, his actions and decisions

should be based on the values.

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5 CONCLUSIONS

The goal of this paper was to identify the peculiarities

of values and value orientations of the modern

manager in the business environment under pandemic

conditions, and how the new system of values affects

the success of the organization. Having performed the

analysis of relevant literature and publications on this

topic, taking into account the results of a quantitative

sociological study, our own questionnaire survey, we

successfully realized this intention.

The experience of past crisis situations (including

pandemics) has shown that it accompanies a person

throughout his life and inevitably affects his actions,

which are determined by values. And while at first

glance, the most widespread changes occurred in the

economy, health care and politics, it was the values

sphere, particularly in business, that "suffered" the

most. Managers faced a lot of questions: whose

interests are more important – an individual or the

team, whether it is necessary to hold on to each rank-

and-file employee or focus on maintaining the most

effective staff, whether to go completely to remote

working or develop a hybrid business model, whether

to take risks or continue the usual activities (if you are

lucky), etc. Before the pandemic world, all values

were located somewhere between two extremes –

maximum profit and general well-being, but now the

image of a successful manager is based on completely

different principles – honesty, trust, openness,

foresight.

In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic is an

extraordinary period in the history of all mankind.

Now we can evaluate in real time the effectiveness of

our actions. And our successes, failures will be seen

very soon, in the coming weeks and months, as this

unprecedented crisis continues.

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