Leadership among Residents
Studies on resilience in communities place an emphasis on leadership and so we listened for evidence of leadership in the residents’ interviews. There were some examples although not many.
There were a number of examples of organising things for each other and “the girls” volunteering to help: “’I’ll wash up…I’ll bring biscuits’” (Resident 11). A range of activities was mentioned including bingo, knitting, a faith service and art club (although these types of activities were criticised by another resident as not having widespread appeal). The residents who took part in organising activities also set clear boundaries for other residents, for example, on trips out, letting other residents know that they should make arrangements and pay to bring a helper if they needed someone because neither the resident organisers nor staff would be available to do this. The organisers made rules if necessary, after discussion and seeking to be fair, for example, no children on trips out. One resident had found ways of influencing outside of formal meetings, by having a quiet word with an operational manager to make a suggestion.
As we have noted elsewhere, it was often a small number and the same people who were prepared to lead and to organise. There may be personal characteristics which result in people taking a leadership role. Where residents acted as representatives, we noted that they carried out their role in different ways, with some being proactive in keeping in contact with others and looking to pass on information regularly. There were some examples of a strong leader within or outside the almshouse community: someone who was passionate about the community, who knew who to contact, who could tell others how to get a job done, or who would raise issues on behalf of others. We can assume that such people are relatively rare in all walks of life.
There were insights into possible downsides of leadership by residents, for example, a socially stronger person may dominate:
“You find people trying to take over the launderette, taking over the common room, telling other people what to do, putting up notes, this creates tension”
(Resident 3)
There was also evidence of a lack of leadership where residents looked for problems to be sorted out by staff: in the case of taking over the launderette, “[problems would be solved] if [problematic other residents] had somebody who took charge of them…” (Resident 3). Another resident felt that “this community is totally dependent on [the charity]” (Resident 31). These comments point to a risk that residents expect leadership from the charity only and not from amongst themselves, despite evidence of leadership and organisational skills regularly in use by some residents. Providing opportunities for residents to lead and encouraging leadership and organising could extend these abilities among residents. Their leadership may need to be supported with support on consulting others and principles such as fairness.
