Grisilience: An Interpretivist Qualitative Case Study Of Indigenous Employees’ Success In Reaching Management And Professional Positions Within The Gaming Industry In Canada: Contributing Factors And Barriers
This doctoral study critically examines Indigenous representation and advancement within Canada’s gaming industry, focusing on the Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation (SaskGaming), with comparative insights from the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) and U.S. Tribal gaming operations. Although Indigenous participation in front-line roles at SaskGaming approaches 60 percent, representation in professional and managerial positions remains proportionally limited. The study explores why this disparity persists and identifies the structural, relational, and organizational conditions that enable or constrain Indigenous career progression. An initial quantitative diagnostic review of SaskGaming hiring data (2017–2021) indicated that recruitment processes did not appear to constitute the primary barrier to Indigenous progression. The absence of a clear statistical relationship between hiring scores and subsequent tenure suggested that inequities may emerge after employment entry rather than at the point of recruitment. This preliminary analysis functioned as a contextual diagnostic precursor to the main research rather than as a primary analytic component. The study is therefore not positioned as mixed-methods; instead, it is framed as a single-method interpretivist qualitative case study informed by critical and Indigenous methodological principles. Drawing on thirty-two semi-structured interviews conducted over twenty-four months, the research investigates how Indigenous employees experience belonging, leadership, and advancement within organizations governed by Western managerial systems. While informed by Indigenous theoretical perspectives, the study is not a decolonising methodology. Instead, it adopts a critically integrative stance—bringing Indigenous and Western frameworks into proximity while recognising that, like parallel lines, these systems often coexist closely without fully intersecting within existing organizational structures. The theoretical framework integrates Indigenous Wholism Theory (Absolon, 2010), Tribal Critical Race Theory (TribalCrit) (Brayboy, 2005), neo-pragmatism (Rorty, 1989), and reinterpreted positive psychology (Seligman, Duckworth, Zilloux), operationalized through the Nahongvita Model (Joseph and Windchief, 2015). Adapted from educational to workplace contexts, the Nahongvita model examines four interconnected quadrants—History, Home, Community, and home (workplace)—with the Self at the centre. This framework illuminates how Indigenous professionals construct identity, navigate liminality, and cultivate resilience within systems that rarely acknowledge Indigenous epistemologies of balance, reflection, and relationship. Findings show that many Indigenous employees describe professional navigation as “walking in two worlds,” sustaining cultural integrity while adapting to Western organizational expectations. Success was defined through relational accountability, perseverance, and reflection rather than hierarchy or competition. Central themes included Self as relational centre, explanatory style and internal dialogue as resilience mechanisms, and the essential role of Community as both anchor and catalyst for motivation. Building on these insights, the study proposes the Grisilience Model, symbolized by an infinity form representing continuous learning and interconnected growth. The model integrates four wrap-around conditions—Culture, Community, Communication, and Catalyst—that link individual reflection with systemic and relational transformation. The research concludes that meaningful Indigenization and organizational change require trauma-informed, relationally grounded management and HR practices that embed empathy, trust, and authenticity as organizational competencies. It further argues that the insights developed here extend beyond the gaming sector: the Grisilience framework is transferable to any environment where a wholistic approach to management, relational accountability, and community benefit are central to making a difference. By extending TribalCrit into workplace contexts, reinterpreting positive psychology through Indigenous Wholism, and integrating neo-pragmatist understandings of language and meaning, this study contributes an adaptable model for leadership, learning, and organizational transformation grounded in relationship, reflection, and collective wellbeing. Note: The Grisilience Model uses the infinity symbol, and it is important to state explicitly that although the infinity symbol is utilized by the Métis Nation, this is not intended to represent or speak to or for the Métis, nor is it intended to be perceived as cultural misappropriation. It is used here to represent a wholistic and perpetual learning journey encompassing the four states of being and the actions of Self.
Gaming industry, TribalCrit, Indigenous Wholism, neo-pragmatism, positive psychology, relational accountability, Community, organizational transformation
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