The Multisystem Approach to Resilience in the Context of Organizations

Abstract

This chapter explores a multisystem approach to employee resilience. Although individual-level perspectives have dominated the science of occupational resilience and intervention approaches there is a growing body of work that is giving consideration to the role of organizational systems in employee resilience. Proponents of a multisystem approach to employee resilience suggest that suboptimal workplace environments are major contributors to decrements in employee resilience. The question that this chapter addresses is how employers should look after their staff. The answer is via a multisystems approach to staff resilience that involves attention to job design, job demands, supportive leadership behaviors, and available job-based resources to cope with workplace demands.

The trauma and learning policy initiative (TLPI)'s inquiry‐based process: Mapping systems change toward resilience

“…In addition, our study's Facilitating Empowerment and Collaboration emergent theme supports the claims of authors such as Crane (2021), who argue for the provision of high‐quality training and organizational structures for staff that increase teacher voice and influence over the transformation process. Our study supports Crane's (2021) focus on collaboration and employees being invited and incorporated into the process of problem‐solving.…”

“…In addition, our study's Facilitating Empowerment and Collaboration emergent theme supports the claims of authors such as Crane (2021), who argue for the provision of high‐quality training and organizational structures for staff that increase teacher voice and influence over the transformation process. Our study supports Crane's (2021) focus on collaboration and employees being invited and incorporated into the process of problem‐solving. Furthermore, role clarity and a sense of vision from the leadership are all outlined as critical aspects of success in transforming school culture toward creating environments capable of addressing trauma and promoting resilience in their populations (Crane, 2021).…”

“…These findings are supported by previous literature that suggests that stronger student‐student and student‐staff relationships are associated with reduced behavioral problems in schools (Wang & Degol, 2016). This connects to Brown's (2017) emphasis on the importance of not only thinking in complex ways as central to promoting resilience and shaping change, but to also working towards increasing capacities in our communities to “practice complexity.” Similarly, Crane (2021) argues that when you seek to support a school move toward trauma‐sensitivity, it is critical to challenge oversimplified and individualistic resilience frameworks or even the tendency to place an emphasis on staff training alone. Instead, schools need to focus on developing and sustaining systems‐level change within the educational and community settings in complex and relational ways to make possible the practice of welcoming students to bring their whole selves into the journey of teaching and learning.…”

“…Furthermore, role clarity and a sense of vision from the leadership are all outlined as critical aspects of success in transforming school culture toward creating environments capable of addressing trauma and promoting resilience in their populations (Crane, 2021). In addition to fostering empowerment with teachers and staff, Cefai (2021) argues for the importance of working to empower student and parents/caregivers throughout the school transformation process.…”

“…Resilience, when conceptualized as an individualistic coping strategy for students, often neglects this multisystemic understanding, which would encourage sustaining change at the systemic level. Resilience frameworks, in this way, can be oversimplified and individualistic (Crane, 2021) which, as Atallah et al (2019) argue, is a product of Eurocentric paradigms that continue to be deeply rooted within conventional frameworks and policies. It is important to question the ways that resilience frameworks are used in educational settings.…”