Since the 1970’s, the subjects of stress and coping have received considerable empirical attention in the social and personality psychology, developmental psychology, and behavioral medicine literature. One construct that emerged from the research pertains to an individual’s capacity to maintain psychological and physical well-being despite suffering risk experiences. Resilience studies originally focused on high risk populations with an interest in children at risk for psychopathology and problems in development owing to emotional, developmental, economic, or environmental challenges. Early on, the field of study reflected an interest in not only what factors insulate and protect an individual but also how the protective processes exert their influence. The combination of an emerging emphasis in positive psychology and recent advances in the study of adult development suggests that resilience may have much broader applicability, with relevance to virtually any population that encounters acute or chronic stress. Ultimately, the early research laid a foundation for the recognition that stress is ubiquitous and resilience is a much more common phenomena than previously thought.     

         Resilience is associated with flexibility, buoyancy, and adaptation. It may be the key skill for surviving and thriving in the multitude of changes we all are experiencing as we move into the Digital Age. Resilience and learning go hand in hand. Like intelligence or athletic ability, resilience comes in many forms and can be developed.   If we are to have resilient organizations, leaders must of course be resilient themselves, possessing the human capacity to learn from and be transformed by adversity, challenge and change. In addition, they must cultivate the resiliency of the workforce and create appropriate systems that sustain healthy workplaces and learning organizations.

Chuck A. Ericksen, Ed.D.