Journals / Journal of Aviation / 2026 / Volume: 10 Issue: 2

The Moderating Role of Leadership Behavior in the Relationship Between Crisis Management Level and Perceived Corporate Reputation in Airline Organizations

Mustafa Altıntaş(ALANYA ALAADDİN KEYKUBAT ÜNİVERSİTESİ, GAZİPAŞA HAVACILIK VE UZAY BİLİMLERİ FAKÜLTESİ)0000-0002-8843-2128
Levent Kaya(ALANYA ALAADDİN KEYKUBAT ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0003-4937-8349
Pages
—
Publication Date
2026-06-27
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings indicate that perceived crisis management quality positively predicts corporate reputation perception.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:Airline firms operate in a context characterized by high operational interdependence, low tolerance for error, and strong stakeholder visibility, making the organizational consequences of crises highly salient.
📊
Key Findings & Data:This study examines the relationship between perceived crisis management quality and corporate reputation perception in airline organizations and tests the moderating role of leadership behavior in this relationship.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:The findings indicate that perceived crisis management quality positively predicts corporate reputation perception.
🔬Design:Survey & Empirical Study
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Crisis management · Corporate reputation · Leadership behavior

Abstract

Airline firms operate in a context characterized by high operational interdependence, low tolerance for error, and strong stakeholder visibility, making the organizational consequences of crises highly salient. This study examines the relationship between perceived crisis management quality and corporate reputation perception in airline organizations and tests the moderating role of leadership behavior in this relationship. The research was conducted with data collected from cabin crew members employed by civil airline companies operating in Türkiye. A total of 425 valid questionnaires were obtained, and the main analyses were carried out with 408 respondents based on complete responses for the focal variables. Measurement models were assessed through confirmatory factor analysis, while the relationships among variables were tested using Pearson correlation and hierarchical regression analyses. The findings indicate that perceived crisis management quality positively predicts corporate reputation perception. In addition, democratic leadership behavior strengthens this relationship, whereas autocratic and laissez-faire leadership behaviors weaken it. These results suggest that the reputational value of crisis management in airline organizations depends not only on technical and operational preparedness but also on the quality of the leadership climate in which crisis processes are carried out.

🔖

Cite This Article

Altıntaş, M., Kaya, L. (2026). The Moderating Role of Leadership Behavior in the Relationship Between Crisis Management Level and Perceived Corporate Reputation in Airline Organizations. Journal of Aviation, Volume: 10 Issue: 2. https://doi.org/10.30518/jav.1925213

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (45)

  1. Abdelghany, A., & Abdelghany, K. (2026). Addressing the systemic complexity of airline irregular operations: Toward integrated schedule recovery. Journal of Air Transport Management, 131, 102925.
  2. Adamu, A. S., Raza, S., & Mohamad, B. (2024). Unpacking the behavioural outcomes of internal crisis communication: Underlining nexus of employee task performance, crisis responsibility and work well-being to improve organizational reputation. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 32(2).
  3. Akyıldırım, E., Corbet, S., Nicolau, J. L., & Oxley, L. (2025). Understanding reputational disaster during economic crises: Evaluating aviation sector response differentials. Tourism Management, 106, 105028.
  4. Alpaslan, C. M., Green, S. E., & Mitroff, I. I. (2009). Corporate governance in the context of crises: Towards a stakeholder theory of crisis management. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 17(1), 38-49.
  5. Biedermann, A., Valentin, L., Bourgeon, J., Boddington, A., Biedermann, M., Koppers, A., Lieshout, R., Stoop, J., & Molenaar, D. (2024). High reliability organisations in a changing world. Research in Transportation Business & Management, 53, 101099.
  6. Chang, Y.-H., Yeh, C.-H., & Wu, C.-H. (2018). Evaluating airline crisis management performance: The cases of flights GE222 and GE235 crash accidents. Journal of Air Transport Management, 70, 62-72.
  7. Chou, P.-F. (2015). An analysis of the relationship between service failure, service recovery, and loyalty for low cost carrier travelers. Journal of Air Transport Management, 47, 119-125.
  8. Cochran, W. G. (1977). Sampling techniques (3rd ed.). Wiley.
  9. Coombs, W. T. (2007). Protecting organization reputations during a crisis: The development and application of situational crisis communication theory. Corporate Reputation Review, 10(3), 163-176.
  10. Coombs, W. T., & Holladay, S. J. (2006). Unpacking the halo effect: Reputation and crisis management. Journal of Communication Management, 10(2), 123-137.
  11. Çalışkan, A. (2020). Kriz yönetimi: Bir ölçek geliştirme çalışması, Türk Sosyal Bilimler Araştırmaları Dergisi, 5(2), 106-120.
  12. Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1),39-50.
  13. Fombrun, C. J., Ponzi, L. J., & Newburry, W. (2015). Stakeholder tracking and analysis: The RepTrak® system for measuring corporate reputation. Corporate Reputation Review, 18(1), 3-24.
  14. Green, S. B. (1991). How many subjects does it take to do a regression analysis? Multivariate Behavioral Research, 26(3), 499-510.
  15. Haavisto, V. E., & Linge, T. T. (2022). Internal crisis communication and Nordic leadership: The importance of transparent and participative communication in times of crisis. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 22(4-5), 331-356.
  16. Hamid, A. S., Mohamad, B. M., & Ismail, A. I. (2024). Internal crisis communication: Exploring antecedents and consequences from a managerial viewpoint. Frontiers in Communication, 9, 1444114.
  17. Holland, D., Seltzer, T., & Kochigina, A. (2021). Practicing transparency in a crisis: Examining the combined effects of crisis type, response, and message transparency on organizational perceptions. Public Relations Review, 47(2), 102017.
  18. Israel, G. D. (1992). Determining sample size. University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, EDIS.
  19. Jin, J., & Men, L. R. (2023). How avoidant leadership style turns employees into adversaries: The impact of laissez-faire leadership on employee-organization relationships and employee communicative behavior. International Journal of Business Communication. Advance online publication.
  20. Kao, T.-Y., Chen, C.-Y., Wu, J.-T. B., & Yang, M.-H. (2020). Modeling airline crisis management capability: Brand attitude, brand credibility and intention. Journal of Air Transport Management, 89, 101894.
  21. Kocabıçakoğlu, M. S. (2023). Measuring corporate reputation: A scale proposal for airlines [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Anadolu University.
  22. Lundmark, Z., Källgren, E., Ek, A., & Gråwe, K. (2022). The consequences of managers’ laissez-faire leadership: A two-wave longitudinal study of anxiety and role clarity. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping. Advance online publication.
  23. Ma, L., Tse, Y. K., Wang, Y., & Zhang, M. (2019). Examining customer perception and behaviour through social media research: An empirical study of the United Airlines overbooking crisis. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 127, 192-205.
  24. Mishra, M. (2016). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) as an analytical technique to assess measurement error in survey research: A review. Paradigm, 20(2), 97-112.
  25. Nuortimo, K., Harkonen, J., & Breznik, K. (2026). Exploring corporate reputation and crisis communication. Journal of Marketing Analytics, 14, 4-25.
  26. Oh, J., Kim, D. H., & Kim, D. (2023). The impact of inclusive leadership and autocratic leadership on employees’ job satisfaction and commitment in sport organizations: The mediating role of organizational trust and the moderating role of sport involvement. Sustainability, 15(4), Article 3367.
  27. Page, T. G. (2022). The reputational benefits of instructing information: The first test of the revised model of reputation repair. Public Relations Review, 48(5), 102256.
  28. Park, E. (2019). Corporate social responsibility as a determinant of corporate reputation in the airline service industry. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 47, 215-221.
  29. Pizzolitto, E., Verna, I., & Venditti, M. (2023). Authoritarian leadership styles and performance: A systematic literature review and research agenda. Management Review Quarterly, 73, 841-871.
  30. Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879-903.
  31. Post, C., De Smet, H., Uitdewilligen, S., Schreurs, B., & Leysen, J. (2022). Participative or directive leadership behaviors for decision-making in crisis management teams? Small Group Research, 53(5), 692-724.
  32. Prados-Peña, M. B., Crespo-Almendros, E., & Porcu, L. (2022). COVID-19 and social media communication strategies: A comparative study of the effectiveness of Facebook posts during the lockdown and the “new normal” in the airline industry. Journal of Air Transport Management, 103, 102255.
  33. Rosing, F., Boer, D., & Buengeler, C. (2022). When timing is key: How autocratic and democratic leadership relate to follower trust in emergency contexts. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 904605.
  34. Schaedler, L., Graf-Vlachy, L., & König, A. (2022). Strategic leadership in organizational crises: A review and research agenda. Long Range Planning, 55(6), 102156.
  35. Scheiwiller, S., & Zizka, L. (2021). Strategic responses by European airlines to the COVID-19 pandemic: A soft landing or a turbulent ride? Journal of Air Transport Management, 95, 102103.
  36. Schoofs, L., Fannes, M., & Claeys, A.-S. (2022). Empathy as a main ingredient of impactful crisis communication: The perspectives of crisis communication practitioners. Public Relations Review, 48(1), 102150.
  37. Skogstad, A., Einarsen, S., Torsheim, T., Aasland, M. S., & Hetland, H. (2007). The destructiveness of laissez-faire leadership behavior. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 12(1), 80-92.
  38. Stamenić, A., Čokorilo, O., Petrović Vujačić, J., & Radojković, N. (2025). Civil aviation security and the economy. Transportation Research Procedia, 83, 585-592.
  39. Terzi, A., & Kurt, T. (2005). İlköğretim okulu müdürlerinin yöneticilik davranışlarının öğretmelerin örgütsel bağlılığına etkisi. Milli Eğitim, 33(166).
  40. Tse, T. (2011). Shareholder and stakeholder theory: After the financial crisis. Qualitative Research in Financial Markets, 3(1), 51-63.
  41. Varma, T. M. (2021). Responsible leadership and reputation management during a crisis: The cases of Delta and United Airlines. Journal of Business Ethics, 173, 29-45.
  42. Veh, A., Göbel, M., & Vogel, R. (2019). Corporate reputation in management research: A review of the literature and assessment of the concept. Business Research, 12(2), 315-353.
  43. Wolf, E. J., Harrington, K. M., Clark, S. L., & Miller, M. W. (2013). Sample size requirements for structural equation models: An evaluation of power, bias, and solution propriety. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 73(6), 913-934.
  44. Wong, D., & Meng-Lewis, Y. (2023). The good, the bad, and the ugly: Situational crisis communication and the COVID-19 pandemic Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Communication & Sport. Advance online publication.
  45. Wu, S., Liu, E., Cao, R., & Bai, Q. (2025). Airline recovery problem under disruptions: A review. Computers & Operations Research, 175, 106915.