Resilient Leadership. Qualitative Study on Factors Influencing Organizational Resilience and Adaptive Response to Adversity

Given the turbulent environment that govern­ments and citizens across the globe faced in the last two years (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), one concept seems to stand out as extremely valuable in this context: resilience. Resilience, understood as the capacity of a sys­tem to bounce back from adversity, becomes a key component in the equation of post-pandemic evo­lution and recovery. Resilient leadership is just one of the multiple derived applications of the general resilience concept, referring (in an institutional set­ting) to the capacity of leaders to turn out positive results despite adverse conditions. Based on quali­tative research consisting of 10 interviews conduct­ed with women leaders (from the private and non­profit sectors) during the last 18 months, our results show that governmental response (regulation and support) and financial pressures have been the ma­jor organizational challenges no matter the sector, while organizational dimension seems to have an influence on the capacity to adapt and respond to adversity. Gender does not seem to play a role in the response provided to the crisis.

KEY LEADER ENGAGEMENT – CONCEPTUAL DELIMITATIONS

In the information age, the strategic, operational and tactical levels are more interrelated than in the past, which demands a different quality of co-ordination and command and control (C2) across the levels of engagement. Today’s military operations to counter the complex challenges of the global security environment require consideration and integration of the information factor throughout all processes – analysis, planning, execution and assessment. Key Leader Engagement (KLE) is an important element of C2 that the commander can use to achieve this. These engagements can be used to shape and influence local leaders within the operations area or may also be directed toward leaders who may influence specific groups based upon military, social, religious, and traditional patterns. Military commanders and diplomats have been meeting with important local officials for decades in different countries and mission areas, but the new security challenges express the need for collaborative C2 have renewed the interest in this concept. This article is based on a literature review and my personal experience gained through ATALANTA Operation mandate, as FOPS Jn KLE. This project is the first attempt to empirically evaluate the impact of key leader engagements as part of naval operations. It gives a flavour of what KLE is and how it can be integrated in the Navy Doctrine, especially in the multinational operations where ROU Navy is frequently involved. Through this approach, I address not only the specialists, those who contribute to the development of operative and doctrinal documents, but also the ones that are continuously self-educated as part of the resilient leadership process.

Learnings from select Indian public welfare programs to catalyze the implementation of India’s national actional plan on antimicrobial resistance

Antibiotics are an easy, rapid and quick replacement to improved care within fragmented health systems with poor access and infection control measures in many countries, including India. India announced its national action plan for antimicrobial resistance (NAP-AMR) 2017-2021 but has made limited progress. Successful public welfare programs (Delhi metro rail corporation DMRC, swachh bharat mission (SBM), beti bachao beti padao (B3P) and national green tribunal NGT) were reviewed that had addressed critical national concerns similar to AMR. Valuable lessons from their implementation provide the opportunity to improve the governance and operationalization of the NAP-AMR. Unique features of the four programs identified above include resilient leadership, multi-stakeholder coordination with oversight and accountability of partnerships, innovation in program design and implementation and data-driven real-time monitoring for sustained behavior change. Incorporating these strategies into the program design and implementation of India's NAP-AMR will reinvigorate the program to accelerate the achievement of program targets.

Developing Critical Resilient Leadership Behavior Through Collaborative Management: A Logical Perspective

This study attempts to understand how collaborative management could enhance and improve organizational leadership and elicit resilient behaviors. Thus, collaboration and resilience are basic characteristics that can help any organization surmount unpredictably challenging situations, and even thrive in the process. A systematic review was used in which relevant theories were examined in line with this objective. It was found that; cultivating, developing, and refining collaborative efforts in organizational leadership, employee-employer relationships, and organizational success are key factors in the pursuit and actualization of predetermined organizational objectives. This outcome demonstrates that leading successfully in an unpredictable and change-prone environment is a huge task. Hence, for organizational leadership to survive and thrive, it has to develop the capacity to be adaptive, swiftly recover from setbacks, maintain relatively stable and functional health, and harness all its resources to remain in business. Therefore, an organization that collaborates on several fronts will create a resilient spirit to face and surmount unpredictably challenging situations if/when they arise. Thus, organizations that intend to succeed in this regard must promote cohesion, diversity, interdependence, inclusion, and social support through enthusiastic and enterprising capabilities.

Resilient Leadership: A Phenomenological Exploration Into How Black Women in Higher Education Leadership Navigate Cultural Adversity

This article explores adversity and the lived experiences of Black women in higher education leadership. Using phenomenology, this study specifically explores how Black women in higher education leadership navigate the adverse challenges of intersectionality, stereotype threat, and tokenism. Black women in leadership undergo adversity including limited role models, the concrete ceiling, and the intersectionality of racism, sexism, and ageism, as well as tokenism. The current findings validate that Black women in higher education leadership experience adversity. Some of the more salient codes that emerged were discrimination such as racism, sexism, ageism, and the intersection of these challenges with identity, cultural diversity and belonging, resilience, and leadership callings. Referred to as “superwomen,” Black women are resilient and strong. The results of this study reveal that Black women use adversity as fuel, thus helping them develop the necessary skills to prepare them for leadership. Their strength through adversity is driven by the resilience that has manifested as motivation factors such as family and relationships, mentorship and sponsorship, as well as the support of cultural identity and diversity. The current findings support the notion that adversity shapes Black women into leaders with an emphasis on higher education leadership.