Resilience isn't just individual; new research shows it’s a shared resource

Resilience can be contagious too | People ACCIONA
Resilience can be contagious too
New research reveals that resilience is not just an individual quality, but a resource that can be shared. This is how a resilient leader influences collective well-being.
In a world where stress and uncertainty are part of the daily landscape – whether at home or at work –  resilience and leadership  have become essential qualities. That ability to get up after every fall, to adapt without breaking, to pull yourself together after the storm. But what if it wasn’t just an individual characteristic? What if we could absorb it from those around us? What if working with a resilient leader could make us stronger?
What will I read about in this article?
Resilience as a lever for growth in the face of adversity
Two theories explaining how resilience is transmitted
The influence of the leader
Tips on how to cultivate resilience and leadership
Howeever, we still know little about how this capacity is built… or whether it can be transmitted. Three American researchers – Brady, Hammer and Westman – set out to explore a fascinating possibility: can resilience be “contagious”, and is it possible for one person’s attitude to have a positive and lasting effect on those around them?
To address these questions, the authors drew on two existing theories. The first of these is  the  Conservation of Resource Theory  (COR)  which explains how supervisors can influence the comfort of their employees as resource “enablers” and thus contribute to their well-being.
According to this theory, a person’s resources also include their personal characteristics, energies and moods, which can have a positive impact on others. An optimistic supervisor is likely to bring a positive outlook to the team. Can a resilient manager strengthen the resilience of his or her team members?
The second theory on which the authors are based is the  “crossover”  theory , which holds that the emotions, experiences and moods of one person can be transferred to others, either negatively or positively. Research has focused primarily on the crossover of emotions and moods between spouses, where it has been found that stress experienced by one spouse can be transferred to the other.
The same is true in reverse: a spouse with good vital energy can pass it on to a partner. However, this transfer of emotions, experiences and moods has been much less studied between supervisors and employees, yet it is one of the most significant relationships at work.
With these theories as a basis, the authors proposed a hypothesis: can a supervisor who combines resilience and leadership influence his or her employees   to the point of enhancing their own resilience? Can they ultimately sow emotional well-being in their environment?
To test this, they conducted a longitudinal study with the US National Guard, which included 178 supervisors and 741 employees, matched by unique identifiers. They assessed this skill in supervisors and employees, as well as well-being variables such as life satisfaction, psychological distress and job burnout in employees.
The study was conducted at three points in time: supervisors’ resilience was measured at baseline; employees’ resilience was measured four months later; and all other variables were measured nine months after baseline.
The results were clear: employees who had resilient supervisors showed a higher level of resilience four months later. Moreover, this predicted greater life satisfaction, as well as a reduction in psychological distress and job burnout. The evidence suggests that resilience can indeed be transmitted… and generate sustained positive effects over time.
Detecting resilient supervisors and employees. Knowing the results of the study, it’s important for organisations to identify and know which supervisors and employees are resilient. Numerous validated scales and questionnaires are available to reliably measure the level of residency.
Foster resilient leadership . In addition to identifying the most resilient people in the organisation, it’s also essential to foster resilient leadership. One effective way is through training. Interesting programmes do exist. As we know, this not only contributes to the sustainability of the organisation, but also to the mental health and well-being of its team members.
Develop personal resilience skills. Although it can become “contagious”, each person can do personal work, which facilitates their emotional regulation, the development of coping strategies, and cognitive flexibility, which can contribute to improving their resilience. These skills not only benefit their work environment, but also their daily lives.
Sources:
Brady, J. M., Hammer, L. B., & Westman, M. (2025). Supervisor resilience promotes employee well-being: The role of resource crossover. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 156, 104076.
Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: a new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American psychologist, 44(3), 513
Westman, M. (2001). Stress and strain crossover. Human relations, 54(6), 717-751.
Hobfoll, S. E., Stevens, N. R., & Zalta, A. K. (2015). Expanding the science of resilience: Conserving resources in the aid of adaptation. Psychological inquiry, 26(2), 174-180.
Dr Marc Grau is Professor of Social and Family Policy at the Education Sciences Faculty, UIC Barcelona, and Coordinator of the Joaquím Molins Figueras Chair for Childcare and Family Policies. He was research fellow at Harvard Kennedy School (2016-2022) and has a Master in Business Administration from ESADE Business School, as well as a Master in Social and Political Science from the University Pompeu Fabra and Doctorate in Social Policy from Edinburgh University. He has published several books, including  The Work-Family Balance in Light of Globalization and Technology  (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2017),  The New Ideal Worker  (Springer, 2019),  Engaged Fatherhood  (Springer, 2022) and Human Flourishing  (Springer, 2023). He is currently Co-Editor of the magazine Community, Work and Family .
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