Leading from the middle in a war crisis: Agentic leadership perspective

The war that began on 7 October 2023, triggered a severe crisis in the Israeli education system, marked by a sharp increase in staff workload and exhaustion, alongside deep emotional distress within school communities. This situation placed intense pressure on school leaders to sustain educational functioning while addressing urgent socio-emotional needs. The present study investigates school middle leaders’ perceptions of their leadership role during the war-period crisis from an agentic leadership perspective. Using a qualitative design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 middle leaders from high schools in northern Israel near the Lebanese border. The analysis identified four central dimensions highlighting middle leaders’ critical contributions during the crisis: (a) innovating pedagogically; (b) empowering the school community; (c) fostering social cohesion; and (d) navigating socio-politically. The findings deepen understanding of middle leadership and agency in extreme crises and provide practical guidance for school leaders facing profound uncertainty.