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In the context of behavior, grit is defined as “firmness of character; indomitable spirit.” A person with grit can persist in anything they feel passionate about and persevere when facing obstacles.
Grit is incredibly important when striving to achieve long-term goals. For example, students with grit are interested in learning involvement, the durability of commitment, and tenacity through stimulating teaching.
On the other hand, resilience is a hot topic in wellness. But it is more than just the ability to recover quickly. In business, resilience means dealing with adversity and shocks and continuously adapting for growth.
Truly resilient people don’t just bounce back better; they actually thrive in adverse environments.
Grit & Organizational Performance
Organizational climate is defined as a reflection of the behaviors and reactions of employees to what the organization assumes and emphasizes. Organizational climates exist when large groups, such as a workgroup or business unit, sufficiently share traits.
The Trait Activation Theory (TAT) explains how individual traits or predispositions of employees to behave consistently in response to situational stimuli are essential determinants of individual behavior in the workplace. For example, grit in prospective employees.
Grit continues to gain attention because it significantly impacts individual achievement, including organizational citizenship behavior — and it can be developed.
Employees are expected to cope and survive in a workplace with increasing uncertainty and complexity. However, high-grit employees are interested in long-term goals and strive to achieve them despite internal and external obstacles.
In many studies, TAT finds that if an organization has gritty, hardworking employees, leaders can expect high performance during a crisis.
And research shows that a positive organizational climate that fosters trust, care, and collaboration, is associated with higher performance. Specifically, a recent meta-analysis discovered a link between grit and performance.
Because TAT suggests that organizational climate can activate personal traits, a supportive atmosphere may create the robust environment required for grit to thrive.
Individuals are more likely to face new challenges and strive to overcome them if they perceive support from their organizations and colleagues. In other words, a positive work environment can activate positive traits. Therefore, the hypothesis from the meta-analysis established based on prior studies and inferences is:
Resilience & Organizational Performance
Adversity is inevitable and essential to how life adapts and grows. People who are not resilient experience higher distress under pressure, which can derail their physical, emotional, and mental state, affecting their personal and work life.
A 2014 study on stress and resilience found that resilient employees build solid connections and relationships with others. Effective communication, active listening, and responding to colleagues and their emotions can characterize these high-quality relationships.
In positive workplace relationships, resilient workers will do what they can to help another person achieve success. The resilient worker is a team player who aims for a win-win with their fellow employees.
Additionally, a National Library of Medicine (NIH) analysis uncovered the importance of social support in workplace resilience. Social support is beneficial for developing personal and professional networks, which can provide guidance and support during times of stress or provide a nurturing relationship.
Similar to grit, resilience is also a learnable trait. The two steps in building resilience are self-awareness and personal relevance. As people understand how resilience relates to their lives, they are more motivated to learn and take action.
Although resilience is often discussed at the individual level, it is equally vital on an organizational scale.
Adaptable leaders ultimately set the tone for resilience. And to foster a more resilient organization, employers are increasingly adopting evidence-based, integral, and practical methodologies for boosting employee resilience.
Organizations must be intentional about adapting their cultures and employee experiences to offer value to a newly-empowered workforce while ensuring the organization can deliver on its strategy and mission.
According to McKinsey, hiring resilient employees helps organizations approach difficult circumstances with agility, accountability, and adaptability. Resilient leaders and teams can evaluate a situation, identify a course of action, commit to what works, and pivot away from what doesn’t.
Identifying and hiring candidates that show grit and resilience can lead to better business outcomes.
But how can organizations accurately measure these vital traits?
Talent Select AI makes it easy to conduct a holistic, consistent, and unbiased assessment of each candidate’s personality traits, core skills and competencies – all from the interview transcript, no separate assessment required.
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