Resilience to workplace adversity (i.e., continued goal pursuit despite difficulty) is a sought after, competitive advantage that, if fostered, may unlock additional benefits for both employees and organizations. Theoretically, the current work presents a clarified behavioral conceptualization of resilience at work, based within the goal and self-regulation frameworks. Empirically, this work uses both field (Study 1) and experimental (Study 2) designs to explore the predictors (Studies 1 and 2) and outcomes (Study 2) of resilience. Specifically, the cognitive construal of one’s goal, alone and in combination with the perceived severity of the adversity encountered, were tested in the prediction of resilience. Subsequently, resilience was modeled as a predictor of goal performance quality as well as helping behavior, both alone and in combination with state positive affect. In the field study, a sample of 111 full-time nurses, based on occupational need for resilience, were studied over a 5-7 day period via an initial interview and two follow-up surveys. In the experiment, 284 undergraduate students were surveyed over two-time points. Both self-report and trained coder ratings of focal variables were assessed. Results demonstrated an interaction between goal construal level and perceived adversity severity in Study 1. A positive relationship between resilience and helping was also observed in Study 2. Theoretical implications for the resilience domain and practical implications are discussed.
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