Leadership in extreme situations: Case study of an indonesian special forces soldier during the boxing day tsunami

Abstract

The Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 devastated the conflict-torn province of Aceh on the most western tip of the Indonesian archipelago. At that time, the Indonesian government deployed thousands of soldiers to neutralize an armed separatist movement. Through qualitative research, this article discusses the story of an Indonesian Army’s Special Forces (Komando Pasukan Khusus or Kopassus) Non Commissioned Officer (NCO) who was able to emerge as a leader in an extreme situation in which the formal military and civilian leaders became non-existent. He was also able to show effective leadership by leading coastal tsunami survivors, among them the families of enemy combatants, to relative safety in the mountain and organized a functioning system during the critical period when help was still out of reach. Important findings related to the topic of leadership in extreme situations show that appropriate traits and values which are further enhanced with the right trainings and field experiences are important predictors of successful leadership in extreme situations. Further research should focus on the necessary traits related to leadership in extreme situations. In addition, a competency framework that incorporates effective leadership behaviors in extreme situations should also be explored further. Finally, future formulation of military leadership doctrine should also consider a more comprehensive approach that covers extreme situations where the military personnel might have to take over certain civilian roles.