Measuring Employee Resilience

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Measuring Employee Resilience

• G. Michael McDavid
• Northeast Region, Penn State Cooperative
  Extension
• North Dakota Spring Conference
• April 1, 2008

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Enabling Objectives

• Understand the growing importance of resilience
  for personal and organizational effectiveness
• Learn about the research on resilience
• Use an assessment tool to measure your resilience
  capacities

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When you hear the wordresilience.

• What do you think?

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Definitions

• Resilience resile (Fr.) to jump back or recoil
• The ability of the body to recover from or adjust
  to misfortune or change
• The capability of a strained body to recover its
  size and shape after subjected to adversity or
  stress

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Research on Organizational Change(Bridges, 1991
Conner, 1992 Dunham, 1984 Russell, 1998, 2003,
2005)

• the level of trust in those leading the change
• perceived opportunity or loss from the change
• past history of changes
• how much influence I have over the change
• disagreements over the need to change or the
  solutions to solve the problems

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Research on Organizational Change(Bridges, 1991
Conner, 1992 Dunham, 1984 Russell, 1998, 2003,
2005)

• and, an additional factor that stands alone as
  a force, and one that contributes to most of the
  others, is employee resilience

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Research Conclusions(Werner Smith, 2001
Bernard, 1991 Rutter, 1997 Garmezy, 1991)

• Resilience is a mindset, a way of thinking
• Resilience is not a static quantity that you
  either have or not
• Resilience can be developed and strengthened
• Resilience has a number of facets and dimensions

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Core Dimensions of Resilience

• Self-assurance belief that you can meet any
  challenge the ability to find the opportunity
  and to succeed despite challenges
• Personal Vision clear idea of what they want to
  accomplish, to create in their lives
• Flexible and Adaptable able to shift gears and
  direction when and if necessary
• Organized find ways of order and structure that
  provides focus and the stability they need

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Core Dimensions of Resilience

• Problem Solver ability to analyze problems,
  discover root causes and create lasting solutions
• Interpersonal Competence a high level of self
  awareness and social awareness and the ability to
  manage relationships with themselves and others
• Socially Connected the quality of personal and
  professional networks
• Proactive actively engage change they have a
  responsibility to determine their own destiny

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Using the Instrument

• Administering and scoring
• Sharing and discussing
• Identify areas for strengthening resilience
• Personal action planning

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ReferencesQuestions - Clarifications

• Russell, J., Russell, L. (1998). Managing
  change. Dubuque, IA Kendall/Hunt.
• Russell, J., Russell, L. (2003). Leading change
  training. Alexandria, VA ASTD Press.
• Russell, J., Russell, L. (2005). An integrative
  model for leading change in organizations. In The
  2005 Pfeiffer annual Consulting. San Francisco,
  CA Pfeiffer.
• http//www.russellconsultinginc.com/index.html

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Measuring Employee Resilience(Measuring Your
Resilience)

• G. Michael McDavid
• Northeast Region, Penn State Cooperative Extension