Organizational stress and resilience. The role of external resources

Abstract

Theoretical background. Military gendarmes represent a professional category frequently exposed to organizational and operational stress factors. In the face of potential stressful situations, threats, adversity or change, resilience is essential. As a protective factor against the negative effects of stressors, resilience ensures the military gendarmerie's ability to remain task-focused, productive and connected to the organization's missions. Public safety workers' perceptions of organizational structure and climate can directly affect resilience (Hart & Cooper, 2001). It has been shown that transformational leadership can increase military resilience (Jayasingam et al., 2019) by positively reinterpreting stressful experiences as opportunities for personal growth and development (Bartone, 2012). Also, studies demonstrate the effectiveness of psychological training activities in the sense of increasing resilience (Arnetz et al., 2013). Methodology. The study was conducted on a number of 214 military personnel, who completed self-report questionnaires regarding organizational stress, resilience, the management style of the leader of the organization they belong to, and the perception of the effectiveness of the psychological training activity. Also, the mediating role of external resources, management style and the perception of the psychological training activity, in the relationship between organizational stress and the resilience of military gendarmes, was analyzed. Results. Organizational stress has a significant negative effect on resilience. Transformational management style, transactional management style and perceived effectiveness of psychological training activity are partial mediators of the relationship between organizational stress and resilience of military gendarmes. The results are of particular practical importance to commanders and mental health professionals working in military organizations.