Highlighting resilient employees can either help or hinder workplace adaptation, researchers said, after publishing a study in the Journal of Applied Psychology. Brady Shanklin, an assistant professor of management at the University of Mississippi, and Tyler Sabey, an assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship at Arizona State University, reported the findings.
Previous research shows resilience has a “protective effect” against burnout, stress, depression and turnover while improving productivity, the researchers said. But Shanklin and Sabey found that observers do not respond uniformly when organizations spotlight coworkers who “push through” adversity.
Some observers react by thinking, “If they can do it, so can I,” while others think, “I could never do that,” the researchers wrote. “We are always comparing ourselves to other people, whether that’s implicit or intentional,” Shanklin said. “What we found is it really comes down to how similar we see ourselves to that resilient person.”
To make stories of resilience motivational to a broader range of employees, the researchers advised managers to highlight similarities between the resilient individual and the employees they hope to inspire. “How are you telling that story of resilience?” Shanklin asked. “The story cannot just be the nitty gritty of what happened, but also the road map of how it can happen again. Try to make connection points between the story of resilience and the people listening.”
Sabey said the goal is not to stop sharing stories of perseverance but to present them carefully so the positive effects reach more employees. “It’s about being more cautious and careful with how we’re presenting that as leaders and managers so that the positive side impacts as many people as possible,” he said.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
