Shattering glass and gunfire are not typical sounds in work organizations. But in one school organization, that taken-for-granted assumption shifted when an army fatigue-clad gunman broke into a five-story university building and began shooting at students and staff on a late Friday afternoon in May. Approaching the gunman, a student known for his gregarious personality and leadership qualities was shot and killed instantly while his friends ran from the building. Ninety others hid in offices, closets, and classrooms as the lone gunman roamed the building for seven hours, evading police and holding building occupants under siege.

This chapter presents how leaders in one organization dealt with a major traumatic event in which the core values and social fabric of the organization were threatened. We address three specific themes. First, we briefly mention the increasing importance of paying attention to such crisis events, both because they are increasing in number and frequency, and because there is still much to learn about their complexity. Next, we look at the nature of organizational healing inasmuch as it is also an area in need of greater attention from organizational scholars and practitioners. Third, we explore values-based leadership and its role in coping with crisis and healing through a presentation of narrative accounts of the school shooting incident. We conclude with some general thoughts about values-based leadership in organizations.

Tragedy on the rise

Events such as the one described in this chapter seem to be on the rise.