The research conducted yielded extremely promising results and makes much room for future research on the uses of this construct especially in respect of positive psychology and career psychology initiatives. Having said this, it must be noted that there were a few limitations that should be factored into future research in order to build on these findings. Firstly, the sample size was too small with regards to the demographic variables from the viewpoint that all participants were in sales and all participants were from the same organisation. Secondly, there was no authentic comparison in respect of the different types of organisations and this is certainly something that can be assessed further. Lastly, the amount of time spent with the participants, although sufficient enough to yield results, could potentially have been too limited and further investigations should consider a more comprehensive and intensive approach, such as field studies or even longer periods of interviews and observations.
7.2 Recommendations
Often solutions look great on paper, but how viable are they in terms of practical application? It is unwise to take for granted that all members of an organisation are ready for the new challenges presented by changes. Aspects such as strategic change, or even retrenchment, have a monumental impact on human capital and the reputation of a company in itself. Both retrenched employees and the remaining stock that experience the structure changes also experience a sense of abandonment, loss of self-esteem and insecurity which continues to impact a workplace, even once the calm has been restored. Ultimately this is why it should be managed, ideally utilizing resilience for the members and the organisation in order to minimize psychosocial damage. This again reinforces the theme of the research of this paper that the ever-growing magnitude and significance of a construct such as resilience is most certainly on the rise. The capacity and capability resilience has to improve not only people’s quality of life but also the health of the culture of the organisation if used on a personal and organisational level, is monumental. The importance of a healthy organisational culture
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and the psychological health of all employees is vital to sustain growth in an organisation; it is unquestionably a learned trait that is giving people and organisations the competitive advantage, not only at work, but from every aspect.
It is exceedingly evident that resilience has an impact on the frame of mind and abilities of not only the individuals, but also of the organisation as a collective unit. Having said this, it can be proposed that such results are used in order to develop interventions that enhance and enable employees to access their resiliency and utilize it both at work and in a social context. What can be suggested in addition is that competency modelling and competency-based interviews and questionnaires probe and recruit individuals who possess the ability to be resilient and those who show attributes of positivity and acceptance of challenges and uncertainty. Reiteration of the ability of a person to bounce back and to thrive in the face of adversity underscores the importance of not only understanding the prominence of this positive psychological construct, but also to understand what enables people to inculcate such an appraisal and reaction in their lives in respect of the challenges they face.
7.3 Conclusion
Organisations today are confronted by this aspect of resilience and are essentially expected to adjust to the demands of a dynamic, technological era. Resilience enables people to make this decision a favourable one and to use the challenge and impulse to engage in it with more vitality This is the positive psychological construct that is imperative in the creation of a plethora of coping mechanisms and skills, designed to help people move forward, regardless of the situation or the problems encounted. What enables people to build these skills? How do people use their experiences to resolve a problem? More importantly, how do people affect their organisation or, in turn, how are they influenced by the cultures of the organisations in which they work, especially in today’s business environment with its volatile and ephemeral nature?
Resilience is relative, emerging and changing in transaction with specific circumstances, transitions and challenges; it is influenced also by diverse personality characteristics.
Resilience demonstrated in one situation may not be sustained over time or be
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transferred to other circumstances or challenges, but competence in one period is thought to make an individual more broadly-adapted to the environment and prepared for competence in the next period and so the tolerance (resilience) develops. Individuals do not only survive and cope by adjusting positively to challenges, but in the process of addressing those challenges, people are also capable of strengthening their capabilities to make future amendments.
Ultimately, this research has been able to identify on a generic and personal level, what exactly resilience is or what it means to different people and where they think it stems from. In the face of multiple adversities, these people survived and achieved success.
All these experiences would have served as extenuating circumstances for failure, but these people still managed to realize success in the highly competitive business world.
People who are resilient manage to do so through courage and determination in order to attain the success they had always visualized for themselves and for their loved ones. People who are resilient show an extremely robust determination to succeed against all odds. They have a vision about a better future, about their dreams and what truly makes them happy. These people know exactly what they want and what they desire for themselves and their loved ones.
They focus powerfully on their present - the here and now - to do what they do well so that they will be able to prosper. Even if the now is tough, uncomfortable and even at times unbearable, they believe in a better tomorrow, in being a step closer to what they truly want. They are driven towards, and by, success. They are achievement-inspired, they set their own goals; they quantify their success and they celebrate their achievements, no matter how big or small - each step counts and provides reward.
They are assiduous individuals. They are genuine about themselves and their situation and are matter of fact people who have moved on from their past. Their hardships and failures are understood as learning events and their successes as milestones in a continuous self-development process. They recognize and comprehend the contributions of those who helped them along their way and they will actively search for mentors and coaches to assist them further along their path towards self-fulfilment and self-actualization. In sum, continuous research is recommended in order to gain further
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insight into this phenomenon, knowledge that would reequip individuals with skills in order to assist them to function optimally in a post-modern world.
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