It takes a lot of sisu to get through it - managerial experiences of facing adversities during pandemic

Sep 6, 2026

Upload by Levi

Sisu denotes extraordinary internal strength used when adversity threatens well-being and performance, offering a universally applicable framework for studying managerial resilience in crisis. Drawing on interviews with 15 Finnish hotel, manufacturing, and retail managers, the study examines how sisu relates to well-being under pandemic conditions. Findings indicate that beneficial sisu can help overcome adversity, yet frequent use may erode its effects, while harmful sisu drives thinking distortions. The results highlight a paradox in choosing to stop or continue actions and emphasize collective sisu as a workplace resource.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Managerial work and well-being in crisis

Conceptual framework: sisu

Beneficial vs harmful sisu

Methodology

Interview participants and context

Results

Effects and paradox of continuing vs stopping

Conclusion

EMPIRICAL STUDIES “It takes a lot of sisu to get through it”- managerial experiences of facing adversities during pandemic Johanna Vuori a and Ilmari Määttänenb a Research area of entrepreneurship and business transformation, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki, Finland; bDepartment of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland ABSTRACT Purpose: Sisu refers to extraordinary internal strength in the face of adversities. Although originally a Finnish concept, it can be a universally useful concept for studying managerial well-being and performance during difficult or even emergency periods. Previous research onsisu categorizes it into beneficial and harmful sisu and suggests that these two dimensions ofsisu are useful when studying determination and resoluteness in crisis situations. This study applies the concept of sisu to examine managers’ well-being in times of crisis. Methodology: Interviews were conducted with 15 managers in the hotel, manufacturing and retail industries in Finland. Results: The beneficial effects of sisu seem to dissolve when it is used too often. The study also highlighted the paradoxical tension involved in the decision to stop or continue actions in a difficult situation and contributes to sisu research by discussing collective sisu. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that beneficial sisu helps to overcome adversity, while harmful sisu causes distortions in thinking that are detrimental to managers. Understanding one’s own tendency towards beneficial or harmful sisu in difficult situations can help in managerial work. Collective sisu is an excellent resource for overcoming difficult situations in workplaces. ARTICLE HISTORY Received 4 August 2023 Accepted 1 December 2023 KEYWORDS Sisu; managers; leadership; pandemic; COVID-19 Introduction The role of a leader has been recognized as critically important in crisis situations (Pearson & Clair, 1998; Weick, 1993), making the study of managers’ work and well-being in times of crisis an important research topic (Williams et al., 2017) . Managerial resilience during challenging periods is crucial, as it directly influences managers’ abilities to lead their organization’s employees and make operationally relevant decisions (Ledesma, 2014) . The global COVID-19 pandemic had profound effects on managerial work (Ansell et al., 2020; Diraniet al., 2020) . The pandemic has also threatened managers’ well-being (Graf-Vlachy et al., 2020; Li et al., 2022) and tested their resilience (Giousmpasoglou et al., 2021; Lombardi et al., 2021) . Research indicates that one in four company directors experienced increased stress during lock-down caused by the pandemic (Dutheil et al., 2022) . To be better prepared for possible new major disruptions, it is important to learn from the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous studies demonstrate that managerial wellbeing, even during normal times, is a complex phenomenon. Research suggests that managerial well- being is influenced by various organizational factors such as social support, ethical culture, and their position in the organizational hierarchy (see literature review by Herttuala et al., 2020) as well as personal factors such as managerial age (Irehill et al., 2023) or skills (Mencl et al., 2016) . Extant research offers contradictory evidence on the question of whether managers experience less stress than non-managers (Liet al., 2018¸ Skakon et al., 2011) . Research on managerial well-being and resilience would not only benefit from further studies (Förster & Duchek, 2022) but also from studies that offer nuanced approaches and indepth examination of managerial well-being during crisis. New knowledge about managerial well-being is also important when orientating or traning managers to face crisis situations in the future. This study offers an in-depth qualitative perspective to managerial well-being during difficult times. It a

FAQs

What is sisu and how is it used in this study?

Sisu refers to extraordinary inner strength and resoluteness in the face of adversity. The study treats it as a two-dimensional concept to investigate managerial well-being during crises.

How was the research conducted?

Interviews were conducted with 15 managers in Finland from the hotel, manufacturing, and retail industries.

What is the difference between beneficial and harmful sisu for managers?

Beneficial sisu helps managers overcome adversity, while harmful sisu can cause distortions in thinking that are detrimental to managers.

Sep 6, 2026

Upload by Levi