The Role of Transformational Leadership in Disaster Management in the Context of Crisis Management and Sustainable Society Understanding: The Case of the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake in Türkiye

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15975524

Keywords:

Crisis Management, Transformational Leadership, Sustainable Communities, 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake

Abstract

Küreselleşme ve dijitalleşmenin etkileriyle birlikte giderek daha yakınlaşan dünyada ülkeler ve toplumlar çeşitli krizlerle mücadele etmektedir. Çevresel, ekonomik, politik, sosyal ve teknolojik alanlarda ortaya çıkan bu krizler, toplumların sürdürülebilirliğini tehdit eder hâle gelmiştir. Özellikle ani biçimde gelişen güçlü doğal afetler, toplumları hem maddi hem de manevi olarak dramatik biçimde etkilemektedir. Afetlerle kuşatılmış günümüz dünyasında, farklı kriz türleriyle mücadelede kurum ve kuruluşların sahip oldukları kriz yönetimi yaklaşımlarını ve sergiledikleri kriz liderliğini gözden geçirmeleri büyük önem arz etmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, ani ve yıkıcı krizler karşısında toplumların sürdürülebilirliğini sağlayabilmek için dönüşümcü liderlik yaklaşımının kriz yönetimindeki rolünü incelemektir. Özellikle 6 Şubat 2023 tarihinde meydana gelen ve yüzyılın en büyük afetlerinden biri olarak nitelendirilen Kahramanmaraş (Suriye-Türkiye) depreminin ardından yürütülen müdahale ve iyileşme süreçleri, dönüşümcü liderlik perspektifinden değerlendirilmiştir. Bu bağlamda çalışmanın temel hedefi, kriz sonrası toparlanma süreçlerinde liderliğin sadece yönetsel değil, aynı zamanda moral, psikolojik ve toplumsal yeniden inşa süreçlerine olan etkisini ortaya koymaktır. Çalışma sonucunda, dönüşümcü liderlik özelliklerinin (ilham verici motivasyon, entelektüel teşvik, bireysel ilgi ve idealize edilmiş etki) kriz anlarında ve sonrasında toplumun toparlanma kapasitesini artırdığı gözlemlenmiştir. Kahramanmaraş depremi örneğinde; yerel yöneticilerin, kamu görevlilerinin ve sivil toplum öncülerinin sergilediği dönüşümcü liderlik davranışlarının, toplumsal güveni pekiştirdiği, dayanışma duygusunu güçlendirdiği ve iyileşme süreçlerini hızlandırdığı belirlenmiştir. Geleneksel otoriter ya da mekanik kriz yönetimi yaklaşımlarının aksine, dönüşümcü liderliğin daha kapsayıcı, motive edici ve sürdürülebilir sonuçlar doğurduğu görülmüştür.

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Published

2025-07-15

How to Cite

ASİLTÜRK, A. (2025). The Role of Transformational Leadership in Disaster Management in the Context of Crisis Management and Sustainable Society Understanding: The Case of the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake in Türkiye. Journal of Culture, Society and Communication, 1(1), 22–33. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15975524