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Leading with Resilience: Insights from Senior Leaders in Australian Universities

Updated: Jul 23


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Doctor DBA Alison Taylor

Digital DBA n°4

Business Science Institute




Introduction


This thesis explores the dynamic construct of resilience and investigates the perspectives, practices and experiences of senior leaders in Australian higher education institutions in building, utilising and replenishing resilience.


Resilience is a complex and higher order construct which is formed from trait-based and state-based attributes, environmental factors and the unique and highly complex processes of meaning attribution and sensemaking. (Fisher et al., 2019) note resilience has been referred to as an ‘ability’, a ‘developable capacity’, a ‘personality trait’, a ‘copingcompetency’ and a ‘process’.  


Difficulty in achieving an agreed definition of resilience (Sisto et al., 2019) and an accurate means of measurement (Ascheim et al., 2020) has complicated our understanding of resilience in leadership settings.


Source: Duchek et al., 2022
Source: Duchek et al., 2022

 

Research Impacts


The research identified four key elements in fostering the development and maintenance of resilience: exercise; implementing effective personal boundaries; the existence of trust in relationships and teams; and the quality of leadership, including the extent and relevance of leadership experience, frequency of leadership changes and degree of alignment. The study revealed the importance of mindset and that resilience contributed positively to individual and workplace outcomes for individuals and effective management of resilience enhanced performance and wellbeing (Seery et al., 2010).


Research Foundations


Research draws literature from Management theory, Psychology and Education theory to understand the antecedence of resilience, state-based and trait-based attributes, the process of adaptation to challenge and adversity, and resolution which may take the form of return to normative function, post-traumatic growth, or depletion. A theoretical framework was constructed based on the four concepts of resilience reserves; utilising resilience; reconciliation and resilience rebound. The framework acknowledges the complexity of navigating multiple issues across life domains which are simultaneously at varied stages of adaptation and resolution.


Methodology


Using classical qualitative techniques, an extensive review of existing literature informed the development of a conceptual framework that presents the antecedence of resilience, the characteristics of challenge and adversity, the process of sense-making and adjustment known as reconciliation and the end state of recovery or rebound.


This thesis proposes that the use of resilience can be considered in four component parts that are typically, though not exclusively navigated in chronological order.  This model was further developed to incorporate research findings and insights drawn from interviews with education industry leaders.


Practical tools for management practice


This research presents a new conceptual model of resilience for leaders and a resilience self-management model. It extends existing research focused on those experiencing trauma in the workplace, such as first responders, military personnel and nurses; and existing research on survivors of childhood trauma and marginalised populations.

The conceptual model and self-management model are applicable to leaders in a broad range of organisational settings, including the education sector, government, services industries and professional services.


The research has resulted in the development of a resilience roadmap – providing a holistic overview of resilience, identifying professional and personal issues, addressing workload and capacity and making reasonable adjustments.


The framework can be used by organisations as a diagnostic tool for job design, workload management and identifying potential; a dialogue tool for performance development and performance management, facilitating ease of disclosure and in addition, as an analysis tool for recruitment and hiring, and interview processes.


To go further


  • Asheim, G. B., Bossert, W., D’Ambrosio, C., & Vögele, C. (2020). The measurement of resilience. Journal of Economic Theory, 189, 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jet.2020.105104

  • Duchek, S., Foerster, C., & Scheuch, I. (2022). Bouncing up: The development of women leaders’ resilience. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 38(4), 101234.

  • Fisher, D. M., Ragsdale, J. M., & Fisher, E. C. (2019). The importance of definitional and temporal issues in the study of resilience. Applied Psychology, 68(4), 583–620. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12162

  • Förster, C., & Duchek, S. (2017). What makes leaders resilient? An exploratory interview study. German Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(4), 281–306. https://doi.org/10.1177/2397002217709400

  • Seery, M. D., Holman, E. A., & Silver, R. C. (2010). Whatever does not kill us: Cumulative lifetime adversity, vulnerability, and resilience. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99(6), Article 1025. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021344

  • Sisto, A., Vicinanza, F., Campanozzi, L. L., Ricci, G., Tartaglini, D., & Tambone, V. (2019). Towards a transversal definition of psychological resilience: A literature review. Medicina, 55(11), Article 745. https://doi.org/10.3390/ medicina55110745



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