Development of employees’ resilience in technologically turbulent environments : probing the mechanisms of consonance–dissonance and crisis leadership

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to examine the impact of technological turbulence on employee resilience based on cognitive dissonance theory and through a process of consonance and dissonance. First, the study investigates employee openness to represent cognitive consonance and then resistance to change to represent cognitive dissonance processes. Such processes mediate the relationship between technological turbulence and employee resilience. Second, this study proposes that the above associations will be moderated by crisis leadership efficacy. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses multi-source data from service employees and their immediate superiors in hospitality, including a two-phase data collection process. Moreover, the study conducts a two-step structural equation modeling. Findings: This study finds that employee openness and resistance to change mediate the association between technological turbulence and employee resilience. Furthermore, results reveal that crisis leadership efficacy strengthens the relationships (direct and indirect, through openness and resistance to change) between technological turbulence and employee resilience. The study discusses the implications for theory and practice for tourism scholars and practitioners. Research limitations/implications: This study provides empirical evidence showing the importance of employee resilience and the underlying mechanisms in responding to technological turbulence in the hospitality industry. Originality/value: Resilience research in the hospitality and service context is timely and necessary to cope up with the changing market and turbulences. This study extends the extant literature that mainly examined the crisis and dynamic conditions. The study contributes to crisis management, marketing and leadership literature concerning technological turbulence and employee resilience in the hospitality context.