Assessing Albertina Sisulu Executive Leadership Programme in Health alumni's contribution to everyday resilience in South Africa's public health services
1
School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A3516
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Public sector health leaders in South Africa manage chronic resource constraints, policy instability and service disruptions, yet limited evidence robustly links leadership behaviours to everyday resilience in district settings.¹⁻³ Building on resilience frameworks emphasising adaptive, aware, and enabling leadership,¹,² and evidence that empowering staff, fostering teamwork, enabling problem-solving, and facilitating continuous learning strengthen resilience,⁴⁻⁶ this study examines how ASELPH alumni's observable leadership behaviours are associated with work unit resilience.
METHODS:
We will conduct a cross-sectional survey of line managers supervising ASELPH alumni and matched non-ASELPH leaders in similar roles and districts. An Everyday Resilience Leadership Index will be developed by adapting psychometrically tested leadership behaviour scales (empowering, supportive, change-oriented, learning-enabling)⁹ and brief resilience measures capturing anticipation, response and learning during disruptions.¹⁰ Line managers will rate leadership behaviour frequency, perceived unit resilience, and micro-outcomes (service continuity, staff morale, intention to leave). Pre-post ratings 6–12 months apart will enable difference-in-differences analyses. Routine tracer indicators (stock-out days, service closures) will be compared between ASELPH and matched non-ASELPH-led units.¹,²,⁷ Expected Results We expect a robust Everyday Resilience Leadership Index and evidence that ASELPH-led units demonstrate higher leadership and resilience scores, larger pre-post gains, and more favourable tracer trends than non-ASELPH-led units.¹,²,⁷ Findings should show stronger resilience where leaders score highly on empowering staff, fostering teamwork, enabling problem-solving, and facilitating learning—aligned with adaptive, aware, and self-regulating system characteristics.¹⁻⁶,⁹
CONCLUSIONS:
This study will provide quantitative evidence that ASELPH alumni contribute to everyday resilience in South Africa's public health services. The Everyday Resilience Leadership Index could inform curriculum refinement, guide leader selection and support, and offer a practical monitoring tool for similar programmes across Africa.
Public sector health leaders in South Africa manage chronic resource constraints, policy instability and service disruptions, yet limited evidence robustly links leadership behaviours to everyday resilience in district settings.¹⁻³ Building on resilience frameworks emphasising adaptive, aware, and enabling leadership,¹,² and evidence that empowering staff, fostering teamwork, enabling problem-solving, and facilitating continuous learning strengthen resilience,⁴⁻⁶ this study examines how ASELPH alumni's observable leadership behaviours are associated with work unit resilience.
METHODS:
We will conduct a cross-sectional survey of line managers supervising ASELPH alumni and matched non-ASELPH leaders in similar roles and districts. An Everyday Resilience Leadership Index will be developed by adapting psychometrically tested leadership behaviour scales (empowering, supportive, change-oriented, learning-enabling)⁹ and brief resilience measures capturing anticipation, response and learning during disruptions.¹⁰ Line managers will rate leadership behaviour frequency, perceived unit resilience, and micro-outcomes (service continuity, staff morale, intention to leave). Pre-post ratings 6–12 months apart will enable difference-in-differences analyses. Routine tracer indicators (stock-out days, service closures) will be compared between ASELPH and matched non-ASELPH-led units.¹,²,⁷ Expected Results We expect a robust Everyday Resilience Leadership Index and evidence that ASELPH-led units demonstrate higher leadership and resilience scores, larger pre-post gains, and more favourable tracer trends than non-ASELPH-led units.¹,²,⁷ Findings should show stronger resilience where leaders score highly on empowering staff, fostering teamwork, enabling problem-solving, and facilitating learning—aligned with adaptive, aware, and self-regulating system characteristics.¹⁻⁶,⁹
CONCLUSIONS:
This study will provide quantitative evidence that ASELPH alumni contribute to everyday resilience in South Africa's public health services. The Everyday Resilience Leadership Index could inform curriculum refinement, guide leader selection and support, and offer a practical monitoring tool for similar programmes across Africa.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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