The Importance of Leadership in the Time of Covid-19: The Example of Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca’s Youtube Shares

Abstract

Leadership is an important parameter in the healthcare field. The need for a leader with digital skills in the context of social transformation and digitalization has become more important, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study discusses the leadership of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Turkey, Fahrettin Koca, in the context of digital environments during the pandemic. The reason for choosing Minister Koca as the leader is that he undertook the responsibilities of informing, persuading, and guiding citizens about the Covid-19 Pandemic. Koca has impressed the citizens of the Republic of Turkey with the shares he made from digital media at regular intervals with his rhetoric, knowledge, and vision. The aim of the study is to reveal how transformational leadership in the field of health is applied in digital environments after the Covid-19 in Turkey. Press meetings held by Minister Koca were evaluated based on transformational leadership categories to raise public awareness in the digital environment. In this qualitative research, the data were obtained from the official Youtube account of Minister of Health Koca. The data were evaluated by content analysis method using the MAXQDA program. The phenomenon of digital leadership after Covid-19 was discussed through digital transformation and leadership theories. As a result of the study, it was seen that Health Minister Koca have transformational leadership capability at both individual and organizational level.