Employee resilience in Morocco: Exploratory Analysis and Perspectives through Organizational drivers

Abstract

The concept of resilience has recently been of particular interest in the managerial debate; in fact, it is a recent approach that organizations can use to address challenges and rethink how they can deal with adversity, especially in the current circumstances.

In a context of constant change and crisis, employee resilience in organizations is of paramount importance. However, research on individual resilience at the professional level is still limited, hence the interest of our current study, which aims to understand how organizations and employees were responding to the COVID-19 crisis in Morocco and developing the resilience of their employees. To our knowledge, very few studies have specifically explored this topic in organizations in Morocco.

We used NVIVO 12 software and manually, the Braun & Clarke analysis model (2006 cited by Maguire, M. and Delahunt, B. (2017)) to analyze the body of interviews conducted.

Among the main results of our research, Human Resources Management (HRM) professionals interviewed noted that the resilience of employees in Morocco in times of crisis is increasingly recognized for its positive effects on various organizational aspects. They add that resilient employees are distinguished by their ability to manage their emotions and adapt with creativity and ambition, besides maintaining their performance despite constraints. Finally, organizational factors, especially HRM practices, are key to building employee resilience.

Therefore, like researchers such as Luthans, Vogelgesant, and Lester (2006) (cited by Bardoel et al. 2014), our experts interviewed encourage organizations to invest in the development of psychological capital and especially in the resilience of their employees.

Keywords: crisis management, organizational resilience, employee resilience, HRM practices.

JEL Classification: M12

Paper type: Empirical research