Fired Up, Not Burnt Out: An Exploration of Resilience Behaviours in Third Sector Leadership

Armstrong, Patricia Ann

Abstract

This thesis explores resilience behaviours in Third Sector leadership. It first considers what leaders identify as resilience, then explores which perceived behaviours impact on resilience. From the findings and analysis of this exploration, conclusions, insights, and recommendations which may improve resilience in Third Sector leadership are developed.

The topic is explored using an interpretive approach and involves semi-structured interviews with 23 Third Sector leaders (i.e., those who hold the most senior position in their organisation). All organisations operate in Scotland, have a turnover over £500K and are registered as charities. The literature reviewed is from the fields of leadership and resilience with consideration of burnout and sustainability. The review concludes that most of the literature in this area focuses on the private sector and is primarily concerned with organisational resilience rather than leaders’ personal resilience.

The analysis and discussion considers a conceptual framework from the literature which details “coping dimensions” and behaviours of “high flyers” in the private sector (Casserley & Megginson, 2008), and explores whether this framework is relevant for Third Sector leaders. The conclusion is that although there are some similar areas, the reimagining of the holistic resilience behaviours described in the study would necessitate extension and reconceptualising of the framework to be more suited to the behaviours, mindsets, and factors of leaders from the Third Sector. The study concludes that behaviours cannot be considered in isolation and that mindsets and factors must be taken into account when considering resilience. The findings from the research show that resilience is a holistic concept and that a reimagining of resilience and subsequent behaviours for leaders in the Third Sector is needed to incorporate the current context of our times. Interview responses show that leaders develop and practice resilience through a wide range of methods such as peer group support, engaging in activities outside of work, and maintaining a perceived “work-life balance”. In current times this may be more accurately described as work-life integration and wellbeing.

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Aug 18, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 18, 2023
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.17869/enu.2023.3170309
• Award Date: Jul 6, 2023