Living into our values and vision : courageous, compassionate, principled leadership within Ontario midwifery

Abstract

Ontario Midwives recently celebrated 25 years of funding and regulation as part of the Ontario healthcare system. Head Midwives are peer leaders, providing the connecting link between frontline midwives and the leadership of the hospital organizations. This project adhered to Royal Roads University’s Research ethics policy. Through the Association of Ontario Midwives, this action research engagement study employed a survey and a learning circle to engage Head Midwives across Ontario in answering the question: “How might Head Midwives be influencers of a profession-wide culture change towards courageous, compassionate, principled leadership?” Key finding included wide variance in the Head Midwife role, a commitment to a distributed leadership model, and desire for system equity and fairness. Recommendations focused on (a) naming equity and fairness as core values, (b) developing personal leadership and followership capabilities throughout the profession, and (c) focus on Head Midwives’ leadership capabilities as peer leaders and frontline care providers.