This study evaluates the Jockey Club InnoPower Social Welfare Fellowship Program, designed to strengthen adaptive leadership among Hong Kong's social welfare practitioners who face high turnover and organizational instability. Method: A randomized waitlist control trial (23 training, 39 control) was conducted. Quantitative effects on sense of community, leadership, self-efficacy, adaptive capacity, and innovation were analyzed using Bayesian difference-in-differences (DID) and seemingly unrelated regression (SUR). Qualitative data from individual and focus group interviews were thematically analyzed.
Results
Bayesian DID showed significant improvements in all outcomes, with small-to-large effect sizes (≥95% probability of positive effects). SUR confirmed robust post-training effects (p < .001). Qualitative findings indicated that the program fostered transformative journeys from individual growth to sector-wide impact and acted as a catalyst for organizational resilience, innovation, and systemic change.
Conclusion
The study highlights adaptive leadership as a critical approach for strengthening organizational resilience in Hong Kong's social welfare sector.
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