Grand Societal Challenges Really Matter: How Does the Resilience of Physicians Contribute to That of the Hospital? A Qualitative Exploration

Abstract

This paper is one of the few studies to specifically investigate how the physicians' resilience (individual level) can potentially contribute to that of their hospitals (organizational level) in the context of grand societal challenges. The empirical sample comprises semi-structured interviews with 32 physicians working in four Egyptian public hospitals. Thematic analysis was subsequently used to analyze interviews. The findings show that in the context of grand societal challenges (increased numbers of refugees in this case), physicians can contribute to the resilience of the public hospitals they work in through different practices. In particular, we found contextual practices (prioritizing the main challenges, ensuring a rational use of discretionary power), procedural practices (ensuring the creation of public value, fostering collaboration with private hospitals) and developmental practices (adopting a “work first” approach, exercising routines through learning) to be vital in this concern.