leadership resilience - clover

www.nourseleadership.com September 2012

RESILIENCE AND THRIVING BIBLIOGRAPHY

BY KEVIN NOURSE, PHD

Resilience and Thriving Bibliography

© Kevin Nourse, PhD. | [email protected]

Books

Brooks, R. and S. Goldstein (2004). The Power of Resilience. Chicago, Contemporary Books. Brooks and Goldstein embrace a cognitive view of resilience that emphasizes the importance of consciously choosing to rescript our lives as adults as key toward more effective outcomes when faced with adversity. At the heart of their book is Kobasa's hardiness model that speaks to commitment, challenge and control as important attributes that help us become stress hardy. The book expands upon various practices and strategies to enhance resilience such as empathy, communication, self-acceptance, social support, self-control, and effectively coping with mistakes. While this book is grounded in both solid research and practical application, it lacks context-specific references to the challenges leaders face in the workplace associated with resilience. Dotlich, D. L., J. L. Noel, et al. (2004). Leadership Passages: The personal and professional transitions that make or break a leader. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. By exploring specific challenges that many leaders might face throughout their careers as well as how these experiences can be important learning opportunities, this book will have broad practical appeal for workplace audiences who want to reframe adversity. The challenges identified range from accepting stretch assignments to coping with a bad boss. The writers conclude by exploring ways in which organizations can better develop leaders using a career passages mindset along with an 8-step framework for thriving in adversity. Although the book is highly accessible in terms of practical challenges and leadership stories, the suggestions for thriving are overly broad (e.g., "learn resilience"). Flach, F. (1998). Resilience: Discovering a new strength at times of stress. New York, Ballantine. As one of the original books on resilience, Flach takes a more clinically-oriented perspective based on his work as a psychiatrist. He refers to the law of disruption and reintegration to normalize a key human process of falling apart and then coming back together at various stages of our own development. He points out that bifurcation points where we become severely destabilized and major life shifts. Unlike other authors, Flach includes content on the physiological elements of thriving, as well as the psychological components. He concludes by examining resilience in various contexts or domains, such as family life and careers, as well as the importance of meaning-making. Overall a good foundational book on resilience, but probably not the best for an organizational leader.



Frankl, V. (1963). Man's search for meaning. Boston, Beacon Press. As a result of his experience in a concentration camp, Frankl reminds us that despite our circumstance no one can take from us our ability to choose our attitude. Those interested in exploring the power of vision to get us through tough times will love this book. Fredrickson, B. (2009). Positivity. New York, Crown Publishers. Motivational speakers such as Norman Vincent Peale and Tony Robbins have long argued that positive attitude plays an instrumental role in our overall life satisfaction and success. However, until recently, most of these arguments have been based on anecdotal stories and scant evidence. Grounded in the work of positive psychologist Martin Seligman, Dr. Fredrickson presents a compelling argument for the importance of positive emotions based on a number of studies she has completed. In her book, defines basic terms, provides specific strategies for increasing the frequency of positive emotions, and discusses the “positivity ratio,” which says that positive emotions, when experienced at the ratio of at least 3:1 (three positive emotions experienced to one negative emotion), fundamentally changes how our brains function, leads to more successful outcomes in our lives, and mitigates the impact of negative emotions. Positive emotions, according to Fredrickson’s “broaden and build,” help individuals broaden their perspective, which contributes to their ability to take specific actions that build more satisfactory outcomes in their lives and relationship. She further posits that individuals can increase their positivity by first determining their ratio and using a number of consciously chosen strategies. Early on in the book, she convinced me that there was something to this idea of positive emotions. But while I found the book to be well supported and accessible, the author cites perhaps too many studies to back up many of her claims. But because her “broaden and build” theory is still relatively new, evidence to support it could be strengthened through longitudinal case studies of individuals who have intentionally track their positivity ratio over time to assess the impact on life and work outcomes. Overall, this is a well-written, well-supported book that will no doubt help readers increase their awareness of the importance of positive emotions in transforming their lives. Maddi, S. R. and D. M. Khoshaba (2005). Resilience at Work. New York, AMACOM. A very useful resource written by researchers who conducted some of the original studies on hardiness. Their book addresses the role that hardiness plays in maintaining resilience, transformational coping, social support receipt, and strategies for organizations to improve resilience among their employees.



Miller, B. (2005). The Woman's Book of Resilience: 12 Qualities to Cultivate. Boston, Conari Press. Miller identifies unique perspectives associated with developing and maintaining resilience among women, building upon resilience literature. Using affirmations as the basis for each chapter, her perspectives range from "I will admit and embrace my vulnerability" and "I will develop my ability to say no" to "I will find meaning in the crisis". A very good read for women facing tough circumstances. Osborn, C. (1997). The Art of Resilience. New York, Three Rivers Press. Drawing upon the author's lived experience of adversity, this book presents a 10-stage model of how people can intentionally and powerfully move through adversity. Her concepts are clearly communicated with specific examples. However, there is little evidence offered for her approach. The book might be a bit too touchy-feely for hard-charging executives - but then again, maybe its the very book they need to read. Patterson, J. L., G. A. Goens, et al. (2009). Resilient leadership for turbulent times. Plymouth, United Kingdom, Rowman & Littlefield. The authors developed this book based on their study of resilience among educational leaders and identify resilience as a stage on the path toward thriving or growth. The group their model into three domains of skills: resilience thinking skills (optimism), resilience capacity building skills (social support, emotional awareness and self renewal), and resilience action skills (perseverence, adaptability, courage, and accountability). Each chapter seems to coincide with a section from their resilience psychometic assessment. A useful book that is strongly oriented toward leadership. Pearsall, P. (2003). The Beethoven Factor: The new positive psychology of hardiness, happiness, healing and hope. Charlottesville, VA, Hampton Roads. Pearsall makes a strong distinction in this book on how resilience and thriving differ then provides numerous practical strategies to thrive in the face of adversity. He draws upon his own experience as a cancer survivor as well as the stories of individuals with whom he has worked. The book cites the composer Beethoven as an icon of thriving based on his life story where he lost his hearing and yet still composed his Ninth Symphony. Pearsall draws upon many of the established theories of resilience and thriving, including hardiness, and presents a thrivability test based on these constructs. He emphasizes meaning-making as a key determinant of thriving.



Reich, J. W., A. J. Zautra, et al., Eds. (2010). Handbook of Adult Resilience. New York, Guilford Press. An amazing resource for OD professionals interested in resilience. The book is broken into four sections: (1) Overview of resilience; (2) Basic dimensions of resilience including biological, cognitive, affective, behavioral, lifespan perspectives, social and organizational; (3) Ethnic and cultural dimensions; and (4) Interventions for enhancing resilience. Of particular note for OD professionals is the article "Building organizational resilience and adaptive management." Reivich, K. and A. Shatte (2002). The Resilience Factor. New York, Random House. Researchers Reivich and Shatte have focused their work on a number of cognitively-oriented resilience constructs based on the premise that anyone can gain greater control of their thoughts and thereby improve their resilience. Karen Reivich is affiliated with Martin Seligman and the University of Pennsylvania. Their 56-item resilience assessment (included in the book) focuses on emotional regulation, impulse control, optimism, causal analysis, empathy, and self-efficacy. They also provide additional content on strategies for mastering cognitive restructuring skills as a means for avoiding thinking traps that inhibit resilience. Finally, the book explores various domains for applying these skills in various domains including marriage, parenting and work situations. The book presents a very thorough review of the cognitively oriented elements of resilience, but does not distinguish resilience from thriving and does not address the role of social support. Seligman, M. E. P. (1990). Learned Optimism: How to change your mind and your life. New York, Free Press. Seymour, J. (2003). Remarkable Changes: More than 20 inspiring stories. New York, HarperCollins. Based on her lived experience, television actress Seymour draws stories from her own life and insights about dealing with the aftermath of a "perfect" life that comes crashing down. While its not a theoretically based or business-oriented book, it is a compelling story that may inspire some readers with her story of transformation. Siebert, A. (1996). The Survivor Personality. New York, Penguin Putnam. Based on his qualitative research, the writer offers a collection of strategies for helping people survive and thrive in adversity. These strategies range from playful curiosity to handling yourself with angry people. While not oriented to the workplace, he does include examples to illustrate his concepts from the organizational setting with an eye toward strategic thinking. The biggest challenge in reading this book is its lack of organization.



Siebert, A. (2005). The Resiliency Advantage. San Francisco, Berrett-Koehler. Expanding upon his earlier book, The Survivor Personality, Siebert introduces the concept of levels of resiliency that suggest a developmental path toward thriving (the final stage). His book includes a 20-question resiliency assessment based on this framework. He draws upon many of the common cognitive theories supporting the resilience construct - locus of control, taking ownership, self-knowledge, hardiness, creativity, and optimism. Siebert introduces the concept of drawing upon ones' paradoxical abilities as part of the level 4 stage of resiliency (consistent with Barry Johnson's work on polarities). His book seems to neglect the importance of social support as a factor promoting resilience and thriving. Stoltz, P. G. (1997). Adversity Quotient: Turning obstacles into opportunities. New York, John Wiley & Sons. Another in a series of resilience books that embrace a cognitive approach. Stoltz' introduces the idea of the adversity quotient (AQ), which attempts to measure your typical response to adversity. Drawing upon research in optimism, attribution theory, hardiness and self-efficacy, he uses the acronym CORE (control, origin & ownership, reach, and endurance) as the heart of his assessment model. He emphasizes the importance of building self-awareness to mitigate or prevent crisis and offers some strategies associated with cognitive restructuring to prevent catastrophic thinking. The book concludes with content on how leaders can improve others AQ and creating cultures that embrace thriving. Overall, it is a useful book that could be improved by more fully exploring how best to engage social supports. Stoner, C. R. and J. F. Gilligan (2002). The Adversity Challenge: How successful leaders bounce back from setbacks. Provo, UT, Executive Excellence. Based on their qualitative research, writers Stoner and Gilligan have crafted a useful book that focuses on helping leaders understand how tough times can provide a unique opportunity to be transformed. The book starts with an overview of the nature of leadership and success, the nature and impacts of adversity on leaders, and how effective leaders cope. Of particular note is the adversity cycle that explains the stages leaders go through in coping with and being transformed by tough times. In summary, this is a well-written book with timeless recommendations very appropriate for use with organizational audiences.



Thomas, R. J. (2008). Crucibles of Leadership: How to learn from experience to become a great leader. Boston, Harvard Business School Press. This book deeply explores the importance and power of reframing adversity as a growth opportunity where real leadership is born, consistent with the metaphor of a crucible for refining precious metals. Thomas underscores that the essence of thriving in adversity is learning. The book addresses the importance of leaders' experiences, how to create a personal learning strategy in order to grow through adversity, and identifies an organizational agenda for experience-based leadership development. Filled with examples and practical application, the book is a great resource for leaders and OD professionals. Williams, D. (2005). Real Leadership: Helping people and organizations face their toughest challenges. San Francisco, Berrett-Koehler. Williams suggests that a hallmark of "real" leadership is the ability of managers to "get people to confront reality and change values, habits, practices, and priorities in order to deal with the real threat or the real opportunity the people face." He claims that common definitions of leadership used are inadequate in today's context based on the challenges organizations face today. HIs book explores six challenges of leadership including calling attention to a contradiction in values, cultivating the latent capabilities needed to progress, moving from one system of values to another, protecting and sustaining what is essential during hard times, doing what has never been done before, and leading in a period of extreme danger. Provocative ideas, useful case examples. Could be improved by citing more specific steps with support for leaders should ideally respond to crisis.



Articles

Carver, C. S. (1998). Resilience and thriving: Issues, models and linkages. Journal of Social Issues, 54(2), 245-267. Fredrickson, B. L., Tugade, M. M., Waugh, C. E., & Larkin, G. R. (2003*). What good are positive emotions in crises? A prospective study of resilience and emotions following the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 365-376. Masten, A. S. (2001). Defining resilience. American Psychologist, 56, 227-238. Masten, A. S. (2001). Ordinary magic: Resilience processes in development. American Psychologist, 56, 227-238. O'Leary, V. E. (1998). Strength in the face of adversity: Individual and social thriving. Journal of Social Issues, 54, 425-446. O'Leary, V. E., & Ickovics, J. R. (1995). Resilience and thriving in response to challenge: An opportunity for a paradigm shift in women's health. Women's Health: Research on Gender, Behavior, and Policy, 1, 121-142. Richardson, G. E. (2002). The Metatheory of Resilience and Resiliency. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(3), 307-332. Rutter, M. (2007). Resilience, competence, and coping. Child Abuse and Neglect, 31, 205-209. Seery, M. D., Holman, E. A., & Cohen, R. (2010). Whatever does not kill us: Cumulative lifetime adversity, vulnerability, and resilience. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99(6), 1025-1041. Seitz, K. A. (2009). A grounded theory investigation of the relationship between positive psychology coaching and thriving, Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Capella University. One of the biggest issues in the field of coaching is the lack of evidence-based coaching practices that are anchored in a richer understanding of how clients thrive. Seitz' work is an important contribution to the field of coaching with her exploration of positive psychology coaching from the perspective of the coachee. Her grounded study identified a useful



process model of transformation for coachees that includes three levels of transformation that results from positive psychology coaching: (1) connectivity transformation based on relationships with others, (2) physical transformation including greater experiences of flow and energy, and (3) emotional transformation in the form of shifts in self-perception, greater resilience, and more effective coping skills. While this study presents a compelling model for what coachees’ experience in their process of transformation, it does not address the specific practices that are proven to contribute to a client's resilience and growth from adversity. Werner, E. E. (1989). High-risk children in young adulthood: A longitudinal study from birth to 32 years. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 59, 72-81. Youssef, C. M. (2004). Resiliency development of organizations, leaders and employees: Multi-level theory building and individual-level, path-analytical empirical testing. Unpublished Doctoral dissertation, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE.



Professional Biography for Dr. Kevin Nourse

Dr. Nourse is a research-based executive coach and organizational development consultant with over 20 years of progressive experience in both for-profit and governmental organizations. He focuses his work on creating resilient leaders, teams, and organizations. He is also on the faculty of the Georgetown University Coaching Certificate program. Kevin has a Ph.D. from Fielding Graduate University where he conducted research on crisis leadership among middle managers during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. In addition, he has an MA degree in human resource development, an MA in human, and a BS degree in Information Science. Some of Kevin’s former and current clients include Abbott Pharmaceuticals, American Association of Port Authorities, American Psychological Association, Eli Lilly, Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, National Cancer Institute, Port of Los Angeles, Texas Instruments, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Prior to launching his practice in 2001, Kevin worked as an HR director, financial analyst, CPA, instructional designer, training manager, and software developer. Kevin can be reached at [email protected] or 202-462-6252.

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