Supervisor resilience promotes employee well-being: The role of resource crossover

Abstract

Drawing on Conservation of Resources theory and Crossover theory, we investigated the potential for crossover of a personal resource, resilience, from supervisors to employees. Specifically, the present study examined whether supervisor resilience influences employee well-being (i.e., psychological distress, burnout, and life satisfaction) via a top-down resilience crossover process. The present study utilized a time-lagged design with three data points over a 9-month period. The sample consisted of 178 supervisors and 741 employees from the United States National Guard. Multi-level models controlling for baseline levels of the outcome variables demonstrated support for time-lagged resilience crossover from supervisor to employee. Moreover, results demonstrated support for the subsequent indirect effects on improved employee well-being outcomes including lower burnout and psychological distress, and greater life satisfaction. As such, our research contributes to our understanding of promoting employee resilience, crossover effects, and promoting employee well-being. In doing so, we integrate COR theory and Crossover theory to elucidate personal resource crossover as it pertains to supervisor and employee resilience. Additionally, we expand on understanding of how supervisor resilience can have indirect positive effects on employee well-being. Implications for theory and practice, as well as future research directions are also discussed in light of our findings.