Redefining Resilience in Healthcare Leadership

The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore resiliency as a core leadership competency that healthcare leaders could develop, through participation in a leadership communities of practice. The term resilience has been misunderstood within healthcare and is often thought of as an inherent trait that leaders possess, rather than a skill that can be developed. As such, this study explored reimagining resilience as a set of abilities leaders can develop to navigate the complexity of the current healthcare system. Additionally, a leadership communities of practice was formed with research participants as an overarching framework to support leadership development. This research used a thematic analysis methodology to analyze the research findings from participants, which were made up of twelve healthcare leaders within Nova Scotia Health, a small provincial health authority on the east coast of Canada. Findings from the study concluded that participants’ view of resiliency evolved through their participation in the communities of practice, demonstrating that not only was resilience a practical leadership skill for healthcare leaders, but a leadership community of practice offered a beneficial approach to leadership development. This study also used an applied research approach that provides a practical and tangible approach to building resilience in healthcare leaders and enhancing their leadership skills by offering key recommendations for healthcare organizations to consider in supporting and enhancing the skills of their leaders. Keywords: resilience, communities of practice, leadership development

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Nursing (DN)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Nursing

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Graduate Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• DePodesta, Michelle Christine

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Risling, Tracie

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Nowell, Lorelli
• Turner, Nick
• Elliott-Rose, Annette

• Leadership Development
• Communities of Practice
• Resilience

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/51070

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:1880/124096