Research Portfolio

Inclusive Leadership Navigating Organsiational Complexity is a multi award winning and international best selling book explores inclusive leadership through the lens of organisational complexity, offering practical frameworks for leaders, HR professionals, and organisations committed to performance, equity, and inclusion.

What makes this work unique is the way it was developed. The research combined real-life scenarios from organisational practice, academic research, industry norms, and data drawn from training and development sessions. It also addressed the recurring challenges leaders face when trying to embed inclusive leadership in complex, fast-changing systems.

The result is a resource that balances rigour and relevance: grounded in theory, tested against practice, and designed to support leaders at every level to navigate the messy realities of organisational life while keeping inclusion and equity at the centre. Get a copy here.

This research project was commissioned by an organisation to better understand the experiences and needs of four groups protected under discrimination legislation. Using a dialogic organisational development approach, we designed and facilitated a series of focus groups to generate employee insights, ideas, and recommendations.

The process combined co-production, action research, and collaborative practices, ensuring that the voices of employees with lived experience were central to shaping outcomes. The result was a set of practical, actionable recommendations to support equity, strengthen organisational culture, and align with the wider DEI strategy.

To respect the commissioning organisation and participants, this work is shared without idetfying information but an example of the format of results is avaible on request.

In this research, we conducted a series of focus groups and informal interviews and gathered existing data.

The outcomes included a 5-year strategy and the creation of an annual measure of inclusion across all points of contact within the organisation, highlighting both regional similarities and differences.

The research also produced a set of inclusion principles to guide meetings, decision-making, and responses to complaints. In addition, a number of development sessions were designed and delivered by and with employees.

A global-localised approach was adopted to ensure there was global alignment and local considerations.

TBC

As part of Sile Walsh’s PhD, A reflexive thematic analysis investigated how individuals in for-profit organisations perceive effective and ineffective inclusive leadership.

As part of Sile Walsh’s PhD, this study adopted an abbreviated grounded theory approach to explore the perceived barriers and facilitators of inclusive leadership in for-profit organisations in Ireland and the UK. 

As part of Sile Walsh’s PhD, A reflexive thematic analysis explored how inclusive leadership coaches in the UK and Ireland conceptualise inclusive leadership.

Findings reveal varied interpretations influenced by different psychological and leadership models.

As part of Sile Walsh’s PhD this research synthesises key perspectives and highlights theoretical, conceptual, and methodological gaps. Understanding inclusive leadership in the literature provides a foundation for advancing both practice and theory in commercial organisations. With growing interest in the topic, this research is especially timely. The review examined how inclusive leadership is conceptualised and measured.

This research explored how coaching within organisations can support organisations more effectively and be better equiped to create sustainable results through aligning with organisational development approaches when appropriate.

Coaching is often associated with performance and goal setting, action and change. Within my thesis I explored its role in supporting the coachees relationship with self. Considering the direct and indirect impact of receiving coaching in a number of ways, using varying approaches.

This action research project focused on developing and delivering a Stress Management Programme designed specifically for family members supporting a relative with mental ill health. The aim was to strengthen both wellbeing and recovery, recognising the vital role that families play in mental health journeys.

The programme was co-produced with participants and partners, blending lived experience, professional expertise, and collaborative learning. Insights gathered through the process informed the design of the sessions, ensuring the content was practical, relevant, and supportive of real-life challenges faced by families.

The research element centred on exploring how stress management tools, professional communication skills, and peer support could contribute to family resilience. Outcomes from this project provided valuable guidance for future wellbeing initiatives and family-centred mental health supports.

FRIENDS stands for Family Recovery Initiatives by Engaging, Networking and Developing Supports. It was developed as a partnership between family members, Áras Folláin, Shine, and the Mid-West HSE.

The creation of this booklet was the outcome of three years of action research and co-production, guided by a shared vision of family recovery. The FRIENDS initiative drew on the expertise of family advocates, academic research, empirical evidence, local knowledge, and a collective aspiration for a hopeful and thriving life for the whole family (Brennan, 2015).

Sile Walsh led the development of the booklet, facilitating conversations, fostering inter-agency collaboration, and coordinating the final production process. See it here.