Measuring Resilience for Individuals and Organizations: Research Review

Abstract

Employers and EAPs are intrigued by the concept of resilience and the role it may play in promoting employee well-being and business success. Resilience has most often been measured at the individual level as one's ability to recover from stress and develop protective factors in oneself and in the social environment. Over 20 self-report scales exist to measure personal resilience in general and over 10 other scales specific to the work context. Work resilience can be measured at four levels: the individual worker; work teams; leadership; and overall work culture. Trainings designed to enhance resilience have been successfully conducted in many applied contexts involving children in schools, employees and leaders in workplaces, soldiers in the military, and athletes in high-performance sports. Other research has examined the additional role of social and community level influences that can impair or improve resilience responses among individuals and entire groups of people. More innovative group and organizational level trainings are recommended for building workplace resilience. Resilient employees and organizations not only adapt and overcome but they also can learn to thrive by making gradual changes in managerial styles, work processes, company policies and programs, and work culture that prevent the conditions that can cause stress and trauma. These work-focused approaches can be added to a full-service employee assistance program. Examples include as skill-building for individuals to become a resilience coach, trainings designed for work teams, and organizational level stress and resiliency assessments and consulting. Examples of resilience measures and providers are provided.