Date

8-29-2025

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Florin Coltea

Keywords

chief officer, company fire officer, crew, team, laissez-faire leadership, new firefighters, functional leadership

Disciplines

Leadership Studies | Psychology

Abstract

This qualitative phenomenological study looked into how newer firefighters experienced working under fire officer leaders who utilized laissez-faire leadership tendencies. The goal of the study was to better understand what this kind of leadership looks like in the fire service and how it affects newer members in their day-to-day lives as well as emergency scenarios. Twelve firefighters from different departments across Utah were interviewed, and all participants had less than three years of experience. The interviews focused on the participants’ experiences, challenges, and feelings when working under this particular leadership style. Each transcript was reviewed and coded using an inductive approach to identify common themes. There were two main research questions guiding the study, the first was how do less experienced firefighters (less than three years) describe their lived experience with serving under laissez-faire leadership tendencies. The next one was how do less experienced firefighters (less than three years) perceived leaders who use laissez-faire tendencies in their day-to-day operations and work. The findings showed that while some participants felt empowered and appreciated the independence, others felt unsupported, frustrated, or left to figure things out on their own. Trust, team dynamics, and the timing of when autonomy was given all played an important role in how leadership was received. While this study isn’t meant to speak for all firefighters, it does shed light on how hands-off leadership can impact those who are still trying to find their footing in the fire service.

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