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JOEPP
9,4
656
Received 27 August 2021
Revised 13 March 2022
10 July 2022
Accepted 14 July 2022
Journal of Organizational
Effectiveness: People and
Performance
Vol. 9 No. 4, 2022
pp. 656-674
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2051-6614
DOI 10.1108/JOEPP-08-2021-0235
Human resource management for
the resilience of public
organizations: a model based on
macro-competences
V
ıtor Vasata Macchi Silva and Jose Luis Duarte Ribeiro
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Abstract
Purpose – This paper proposes a model composed by macro-competences developed to contribute for the
resilience of public organizations.
Design/methodology/approach – To propose the model, a literature review in the area of organizations
resilience was carried out, and the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was used. The setting used to
validate the proposed model was the Brazilian Federal Institutions of Higher Education.
Findings – The results present five dimensions of action seen as macro-competences that contribute for
organizations’ resilience: human resource management, development of individual competencies, risk
management, preparedness for response, and responsiveness. The results also point at competences that can be
developed in each of those dimensions with a view toward resilience.
Practical implications – Competences of strategically planning the workforces, of testing the risk
hypotheses continuously, and applying the action plans proposed by risk management in response to crises
can improve individual and organizational resiliencies.
Originality/value – Guided by the proposed model, public organizations will be better prepared to withstand
adversities, such as resources cutbacks and staff shortages.
Keywords Resilience, Public organizations, Structural equations modelling, Human resource management,
Competences
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
To deal with financial crises and the growing trend of privatization, governments have
adopted a strategic stance to manage their human resources (Lee and Sanders, 2013). In this
scenario, as an option to face difficult times, different authors suggest that organizations
consider implementing actions to improve the resilience of their employees in turbulent times
(Reinmoeller and van Baardwijk, 2005; Shin et al., 2012).
Resilience is related to the ability a system, process, or organization has to adjust and
restore its functioning in advance or immediately after changes, troubles, or threats (Steen
and Morsut, 2020; van der Vegt et al., 2015). Resilience may be therefore seen as a way to
understand, face difficulties, and recover from stressful situations (Coutu, 2002; Luthans et al.,
2008). Due to such characteristics, resilience is considered a relevant ability for individuals,
communities, and organizations, given that it may enable them to prosper by facing
adversities (Bhamra et al., 2011; Rankin et al., 2013).
The term resilience is normally viewed from the perspective of organizations or
individuals. Such perspectives, however, assign different connotations to the term, depending
on its applicability. Within the organizational setting, resilience is seen as the ability
organizations have to adapt their responses to adversities that happen over time in such a
way that, after such crises, organizations emerge recovered, strengthened and featuring new
capacities (Lengnick-Hall et al., 2011; Seville et al., 2015). In this context, to be successful
managing such crises, the development of multiple abilities related to the establishment of
planning, coordination, leadership and behaviour actions, is suggested (Lalonde, 2011; The resilience
Linnenluecke and Griffiths, 2010). of public
Organizational resilience consists of a necessary competence for the survival of an
organization, for appropriate decision-making in new projects and for the effective
organizations
adaptation of organizations to the settings in which they are inserted (P
erez-L
opez et al.,
2016). As for the main benefits, it is considered that resilience provides for the reduction of
tension and stress related to changes and the commitment of individuals to new challenges
(Bardoel et al., 2014). Due to those aspects, resilience is considered a mixture between 657
anticipation and improvisation, as well as an ability that may result on the renewal of an
organization with time (Lalonde, 2011; Reinmoeller and van Baardwijk, 2005). Resilience is
also seen as positive psychological capacity to rebound or to bounce back from adversity,
uncertainty, conflict, failure or even positive events, progress and increased responsibility
(Paul et al., 2019). Because of such characteristics, some authors also remember that resilience
can be viewed as a recovery skill, and also as a transformative ability (Shen et al., 2022).
Individual resilience is characterized by the ability of individuals to strongly face reality,
make sense of difficulties, deal with new challenges, improvise solutions and reach success in
different conditions (Coutu, 2002). However, for the occurrence of success, it is necessary that
the individual recognizes and understands the adverse event to be faced, as a means to
facilitate planning of aspects such as time, energy and resources needed for them to recover
and return to a point of balance (Youssef and Luthans, 2007). As a benefit, Garg and Sarkar
(2020) cites that resilience can result in different resource gains to people, including better
vitality.
The development of individual and organizational resiliencies may be achieved through
strategic management of human resources (Aleksi
c et al., 2013; Lengnick-Hall et al., 2011). For
such a development to occur, strategic management must be based on a set of human
resource practices planned and implemented so as to provide individuals with opportunities
for them to recover from adversities (Bardoel et al., 2014). This set of practices should also
contribute for the development and maintenance of factors that help individuals strengthen
their own resiliencies (Bardoel et al., 2014).
In any organizational environment there is a potential for the alignment of human
resources practices in a way to increase individual and organizational resiliencies (Bardoel
et al., 2014; Boin and van Eeten, 2013). However, according to Wang et al. (2014), few
organizations see resilience as a set of abilities that may be developed based on strategic
management of human resources and as a way to improve the individual and organizational
performance and well-being. In addition, limited efforts have been devoted to developing,
deploying, and evaluating human resource practices capable of promoting resilience, and
research is needed to demonstrate that resilience corresponds to an aspect that can be
developed in organizations (Annarelli and Nonino, 2016; Bardoel et al., 2014).
Competence-based approach plays an essential role in enhancing our understanding of
how organizations achieve their goal and gain competitive advantage (Salman et al., 2020). To
achieve such goals, the organizations usually use competency frameworks to align the
strategic imperatives of an organization with its key HR programs (Gangani et al., 2008). This
leads to the concept that organizational competence refers to an organization’s internal
capabilities to reach its goals (Taatila, 2004).
Resilience has been approached in the area of public policies to indicate how individuals,
communities and organizations may adapt, face and recover from adversities such as climate
change, economic recessions and public spending cutbacks (Duit, 2016; Eakin et al., 2011;
Shaw, 2012; Shaw and Maythorne, 2013). Such adversities may be seen as aspects that
contribute for organizations reaching states of crises, situations in which they need to
promote significant changes in their operation (Rochet et al., 2008). Such crisis states are
aggravated also by the fact that the world has become more unpredictable and complex,
JOEPP subject to risk and rupture, and also due to the fact that public organizations do not have
9,4 structured systems for the conduction of change processes (De Angelis, 2013; Rochet
et al., 2008).
Literature in the area of public management has highlighted the existence of a global
movement that sees a change in the relationship between the state and its administration
(Saravia and Gomes, 2008). Among the changes to be adopted by the states, the introduction
of advanced practices of human resources management in the public service and in the
658 organizations that compose it is being emphasized (Brown, 2004). In the Brazilian context, the
63 Federal Universities of Higher Education are examples of organizations that may benefit
from the adoption of such management practices (Bermejo et al., 2019; Brasil, 2021). This is
justified because such institutions, as well as other Brazilian public organizations, are often
seen by the scientific and economic literature as ineffective and inefficient (Akkoyunlu, 2021;
Bernal Arellano et al., 2013). As example, can be cited the Inter-American Development Bank
analysis that viewed Brazil as the only country in the region, besides Honduras, where
government efficiency deteriorated between 2004 and 2013 (Akkoyunlu, 2021; Velarde et al.,
2014). To Akkoyunlu (2021) the causes of this inefficiency are the growing role of the federal
government as a political and economic actor, and the accompanying increase in the size and
budget of the civil service during the 2000s.
According to Bresser Pereira and Spink (1999), in relation to the managerial public
administration in Latin America, the perception of the nature of the crisis in Brazil and, later,
of the imperative need to reform the state was a haphazard and a contradictory process that
occurred as the crisis itself unfolded. Between 1979 and 1994, Brazil lived through an
unprecedented period of high inflation and per capita income stagnation. It was only in 1994,
with the advent of Real Plan, that the nation finally managed to stabilize prices and create the
conditions required for renewed development. The fundamental cause of the economic
quandary was the crisis of the state that, notwithstanding the reforms already achieved, has
yet to be fully overcome (Bresser Pereira and Spink, 1999). To Gomes and Lisboa (2021), in
terms of administrative rationality, the situation is the same since 1994, and Brazil still does
not have the ideal organizational structure for an efficient public administration.
Based on the aspects presented, the aim of this paper is to propose a model composed by
macro-competences that may be employed to contribute for the resilience of public
organizations. This is proposed based on the perception that developing a conceptual
framework including the main factors which influence the institutional resilience of public
administration, and what defines them, will help to predict public institutions’ responses to
future shocks (Profiroiu and Nastaca, 2021). To validate the proposed model, the scenario of
the Brazilian Federal Institutions of Higher Education was used; this scenario presents
characteristics related to economic and political instability that require higher organizational
resilience. This study is justified because it is considered that an efficient strategy of human
resources management should be able to create competences among public servants, allow
organizations to obtain better results and enable them to adapt to changes and adversities in
a satisfactory manner (Lengnick-Hall et al., 2011). The contributions of this study are related
to the development of multiple capacities and to the increment of organizational resilience of
public organizations.

Development of the model

Resilience corresponds to the recognition of the need to take proactive or reactive measures in
the face of adversities (Youssef and Luthans, 2007). Such measures, by organizations or
individuals, may give rise to positive or negative results (Williams et al., 2017). It happens
because, even though resilience contributes for perseverance, operation and reliability of
organizations and individuals before challenging events, it may also result in resistance to
change and in difficulties related to learning, adaptation and transformation (Mamouni The resilience
Limnios et al., 2014; Williams et al., 2017). To bypass such difficulties and develop resilience in of public
individuals, one alternative is to invest in the process of continued education (Wang
et al., 2014).
organizations
According to Sullivan-Taylor and Wilson (2009), the resilience perspective essentially
contains a resource based-view. This occurs due to the resource-based view theory, which
considers that different qualities and quantities of organizational resources can lead an
organization to different results (Lee and Chen, 2021). In the organizational context, for 659
example, the strategic management of human resources is understood as the capacity of the
organization to manage people in a proactive way, as a means to align the individuals’ needs
and expectations to the goals of the organization (Buller and McEvoy, 2012; Carvalho and
Areal, 2016; Juul Andersen and Minbaeva, 2013). In this scenario, human resources practices
proposed by strategic management can also be responsible for developing and maintaining
individuals’ resilience (Bardoel et al., 2014). To address unforeseen events and adversity,
human resources management departments must, from training and other human resources
practices, develop psychological capital, resilience qualities, and individual skills in their
employees (Bardoel et al., 2014; Luthans et al., 2006).
As a benefit of adopting a human resources management that applies principles of
organizational resilience, it is essentially expected that organizations will work resiliently,
and that this will help them achieve their goals (Wilson, 2016). In addition, even though
individuals, groups and organizations are unique and have different organization systems,
there are common elements that may be used to improve the resilience of organizations
(Wilson, 2016).
For the identification of common elements (or dimensions of action, here treated as macro-
competences) that can be developed to contribute for the resilience of public organizations, a
search strategy was elaborated, which was applied in the Web of Science database in November
22, 2018. The investigation considered the articles and conference papers published from the
beginning of the indexation in this database to the search date. This strategy sought papers
that presented in their titles, abstracts or keywords the terms “organizational resilience”,
“individual resilience”, “resilience” AND “human resource management”, “resilience” AND
“competenc*” or “resilience” AND “public administration”. This search strategy also used the
filters “Management” and “Public Administration” for the identification of relevant articles. For
the comprehensive listing of macro-competences that may contribute for organizational
resilience, studies mentioned in the works selected in the preliminary search were also
considered. Table 1 shows the main results of the collection on WoS.
After collecting the articles that address the themes of resilience, people management and
public administration, these works were analysed according to the content analysis
technique proposed by Bardin (1991). To do so, were encompassed the stages of pre-analysis,
material exploration and treatment of results, step when occurs inference and interpretation
(Bardin, 1991). In this stage, to uncover the presence of dominant concepts, was used the
conceptual analysis style, approach that proposes the text analysis for the identification of
concepts that can represent words, phrases or more complex constructs (Indulska et al., 2012).
This analysis, as discussed below, generated the identification of five macro-competences: (1)
human resource management, (2) development of individual competencies, (3) risk
management, (4) preparedness for response, and (5) responsiveness.
The variable human resource management (macro-competence 1) was considered a basilar
element for the development of organizational resilience. This happens because it is the
responsibility of the organizations to verify whether the teams have the potential to be
resilient and foster people to take initiative, seek knowledge and establish external contacts
(Richtn
er and L€ofsten, 2014). Organizations also have to implement consistent human
resources practices (Lengnick-Hall et al., 2011). Such practices, in turn, should serve to
JOEPP Other
9,4 studies
Search Stipulated Articles mentioned
Database fields Search phrase period collected Main articles and selected

Web of TS 5 All “organizational 1945–2018 82 Annarelli and 14

Science fields resilience” OR Nonino (2016),
660 “individual Coutu (2002),
resilience” OR Lengnick-Hall
“resilience AND et al. (2011),
human resource Linnenluecke and
management” OR Griffiths (2010),
“resilience AND Richtn
er and
Table 1. competenc*” OR L€ofsten (2014)
Search strategy used “resilience AND
for identification of public
relevant studies administration”

promote the flexibility of human resources, to foster organizational learning, to facilitate the
construction of social capital, and also to develop leaders that individuals want to follow
(Seville et al., 2015). In addition, organizations also have to develop inclusive approaches to
strengthen groups resilience, encourage participation of the actors in decision-making,
facilitate access of individuals to knowledge and promote individuals’ resilience (Aleksi
c
et al., 2013; Eakin et al., 2011). According to Lengnick-Hall et al. (2011), four factors distinguish
resilient from non-resilient individuals: problem solving abilities, favourable perceptions,
positive reinforcement, and strong faith. To strengthen these factors, organizations can
develop a configuration of HR practices that are internally consistent and directed at
nurturing cognitive, behavioural, and contextual dimensions of resilience (Lengnick-Hall
et al., 2011).
The variable development of individual competencies (macro-competence 2) corresponds to
the other aspect that may contribute to organizational resilience. This is justified because it is
considered that the following competencies are among individual competencies that are able
to promote resilience: the individuals’ ability to identify when it is appropriate to wait and
when it is appropriate to act (Re and Macchi, 2010); the ability to deal with difficult situations
(P
erez-L
opez et al., 2016); the ability to learn and demonstrate competencies that tend to be
rewarded (Meneghel et al., 2016); self-regulatory abilities, behaviours and processes (van der
Vegt et al., 2015); the ability to thrive in adverse contexts (Bergstr€om and Dekker, 2014); the
capacities to observe, accept reality and improvise solutions (Coutu, 2002). In short, resilience
can be viewed as the competency to be robust under conditions of enormous stress and
change (Coutu, 2002).
Based on the aspects presented, it is noted that the variables “human resource
management” and “development of individual competencies” are concerned with capacities,
abilities, and resources that groups and individuals shall have to facilitate the development of
individual and organizational resiliencies. In this context, the HRM implementation and
execution effectiveness refers to the extent to which organizational and employees’ needs are
taken into account (Gilbert et al., 2015). The benefits of such effective execution are enriched
understanding of expected behaviours and performance, improved talent planning and
improved operational efficiencies. In this scenario, the first research hypothesis to be tested in
this study is presented.
H1. The effective execution of the human resource management function contributes for
the development of individual competencies.
In addition to the aspects related to human resource management and to the development of The resilience
individual competencies, the literature in the area of organizational resilience also highlights of public
elements related to the risk management variable (macro-competence 3). This happens
because, to be seen as resilient, there is a possibility that organizations will adopt proactive
organizations
and corporate approaches to manage risks (Shaw and Maythorne, 2013). In this scope,
organizations need to understand the existing risks and adopt measures that minimize the
probability of occurrence of adversities (Annarelli and Nonino, 2016; van der Vegt et al., 2015).
It is thus considered that the adoption of a risk management policy may contribute for the 661
development of the adaptive organizational capacity and also for the capacity to find
opportunities among existing risks (Seville et al., 2015). Success, in this realm, is based on the
ability of organizations, groups and individuals to anticipate the changing shape of risk
before failures and harm occur (Annarelli and Nonino, 2016). In this scenario, the variable
“human resource management” may also contribute for individuals to adopt initiatives for
risk management. This can happen, for example, by establishing staff training programs,
which can be responsible for raising awareness among the individuals of the risks to which
organizations are exposed.
H2. The effective execution of the human resource management function contributes for
the effective execution of the risk management function.
Organizational resilience is also connected to the variable preparedness for response (macro-
competence 4) of the organizations. This macro-competence is related to the ability and agility
of organizations to use their abilities to respond to adversities (Shaw and Maythorne, 2013).
To put this macro-competence into practice, it is important that organizations align the
strategy and the management systems that support the decision-making process (Cardoso
and Ramos, 2016). In addition, the organizations shall understand how organizational
components affect the operation of the system, pursue resilience as a result of operational
excellence and seek to be an organization that learns (Seville et al., 2015; van der Vegt et al.,
2015). To be prepared to respond to adversities, it is also important that organizations
develop organizational competences and value the creation and maintenance of organization
resilience (Morel et al., 2008; Richtn
er and L€ofsten, 2014). As benefit, can be considered that,
organizations that are capable of utilizing their employees’ knowledge and skills, by, for
example, matching a problem-solving assignment with the person having the best
competence, will create trust that the organization is capable of solving problems (Richtn
er
and L€ofsten, 2014). In this scenario, it is considered that the variable “human resource
management” may be responsible for preparing individuals of an organization to respond to
the adversities that may arise. Such an initiative may be responsible for preparing individuals
to respond to adversities in a creative way.
H3. The effective execution of the human resource management function contributes for
the effective execution of the preparedness for response function.
The variable responsiveness (macro-competence 5) corresponds to another element that the
organizations may develop to reach organizational resilience. Such a function, in this context,
shall serve for the organization to present good reflexivity when dealing with adversity (Morel
et al., 2008). This function shall serve for an organization to self-organize itself, to adapt in an
innovative way and to return to its previous state (Cardoso and Ramos, 2016; Linnenluecke and
Griffiths, 2010; Shaw, 2012). The responsiveness function shall serve also for the organizations
to resist to changes, keep their structures and processes, manage adversities to minimize their
impacts, and make safe decisions when in adverse conditions (Annarelli and Nonino, 2016;
Mamouni Limnios et al., 2014; Morel et al., 2008). Also, this function can be viewed as the
organizational ability to undertake positive adjustments under challenging conditions,
including adjustments to both ongoing strains due to small interruptions as well as severe
JOEPP disruptions from larger events (Linnenluecke and Griffiths, 2010). As the main benefit, it is
9,4 expected that the responsiveness function allows organizations to maintain the internal control
structure and the flow of information during times of crises (Duit, 2016). The variable “human
resource management” in this scenario may be responsible for developing responsiveness
attributes in individuals. As a benefit, it is considered that such variable may contribute for
individuals to present, during crises, good reflexivity when dealing with adversity.
662 H4. The effective execution of the human resource management function contributes for
the effective execution of the responsiveness function.
In a way that is similar to the hypotheses previously presented, six other research hypotheses
were constructed combining the five macro-competences identified in the literature. Based on
that, it is considered that the development of individual competencies also corresponds to an
element that can contribute to risk management. This can happen, for example, from the
development of individual competencies able to contribute for the development of risk
management policies.
H5. The development of individual competencies contributes for the effective execution
of the risk management function.
The development of individual competencies can be responsible also for preparing
individuals in an organization to respond to adversities that may rise. This development
can facilitate the crises response process.
H6. The development of individual competencies contributes for the effective execution
of the preparedness for response function.
The development of individual competencies can also be responsible for developing
responsiveness attributes in the individuals. Such a development, in this scenario, may
cooperate for appropriate decision-making in the face of adversities.
H7. The development of individual competencies contributes for the effective execution
of the responsiveness function.
It is hypothetically considered that the variable “risk management” may contribute for the
effective execution of the function preparedness for response. Risk management, in this
scenario, can be responsible for preparing individuals for responding to adversities to which
they may be exposed in the organizational scenario.
H8. The effective execution of the risk management function contributes for the effective
execution of the preparedness for response function.
The variable “risk management” may be responsible also for the development of the
responsiveness attributes. In this scenario, such attributes may be put into practice from the
execution of the action plans proposed by risk management to respond to adversities to
which organizations may be exposed.
H9. The effective execution of the risk management function contributes for the effective
execution of the responsiveness function.
Finally, it is also considered that the variable “preparedness for response” contributes for
organizational responsiveness as well. This happens because preparing individuals and
organizations to respond to crises may contribute to more agile and assertive responses to
such adversities.
H10. The effective execution of the preparedness for response function contributes for
the effective execution of the responsiveness function.
Figure 1 presents the macro-competences identified from literature review and the The resilience
hypotheses tested in this study. In this context, the aim is to recognize the paths that may of public
be employed to contribute for the resilience of public organizations.
organizations

Method
In order to test the hypotheses that bind the macro-competences presented, the structural 663
equation modelling (SEM) approach was used. This approach is well-suited to test conceptual
theories and models (Hair et al., 2012). It is considered particularly appealing when the research
goal is to predict or explain variance of key constructs (for example, responsiveness, macro-
competence that attests organizational resilience) through different explicative constructs (for
example, the other macro-competences), and/or when the size of the sample is relatively small
(Hair et al., 2012; Sarstedt et al., 2014). In this context, the path analysis corresponds to a type of
SEM regularly used in the area of operations management to identify relationships among
several variables (Shah and Goldstein, 2006). In this type of analysis, the conceptual model
created specifies the relations between the variables, and the only latent variables (those that
cannot be measured directly) are the estimative of standard error (Shah and Goldstein, 2006).
To evaluate the significance and relevance of the explicative constructs modelled by the
path analysis, the bootstrapping routine may be applied, particularly when sample sizes are
moderate or small, that is, in the range of 20–80 cases (Efron and Tibshirani, 1993; Shrout and
Bolger, 2002). This routine, which fundaments statistic interference, corresponds to a
resampling technique that used a large number of sub-samples of original data (with
substitution) and estimates models for each sub-sample (Hair et al., 2014b; Streukens and
Leroi-Werelds, 2016). From that point, the model estimates are used to calculate strength,
variability and the standard error of each path of the model (Hair et al., 2014b). Later, the
significance of each path may be determined with the help of the statistic t and respective p-
value (Hair et al., 2014b).
For the modelling of the macro-competency structural equation for resilience developed in
this study, the software SmartPLS was used. Regarding the configurations of this software,
for the bootstrapping, 5,000 subsamples were analysed, what means that 5,000 subsamples
were created with observations randomly drawn from the original set of data (with
replacement), being the test a two-tailed test using a level of significance of 0.05. Weighting
was based on the weighting scheme based on the paths, with 300 iterations and shutdown
criterion of 10–7. As criteria to evaluate the results, the paths that presented statistics t > 1.96
and p-value < 0.05 were considered significant.

Responsiveness

H10
H9
Risk H8 Preparedness for
management response
H5 H7
H4 Figure 1.
H2 H6
H3 Macro-competences
model for
organizational
Human resource Individual resilience and
management H1 competencies hypotheses to be tested
JOEPP Data collection
9,4 To validate the hypotheses presented, a questionnaire (available in Appendix) was
constructed. This questionnaire was delivered to the 63 Deans of Brazilian Federal
Institutions of Higher Education in a Human Resource Management Forum happened in
August 22, 2019, where they were invited to anonymous respond the survey. The Deans were
invited to respond to this questionnaire because of their managerial perception of the
institution’s functioning. The questionnaire allowed these directors to identify, in a semantic
664 differential scale, the situation of the five macro-competences that may contribute for Federal
Institutions of Higher Education resilience. To identify the current situation of the elements in
the institutions investigated, the semantic differential scale was represented by a continuous
line with intermediate marking, which indicated the middle of the scale to facilitate the
answer of the Deans. This scale was used because is capable of assessing subject’s non-verbal
impressions of various objects, events, and concepts on the basis of how they rate the
matching between multiple adjectives and entities (Takahashi et al., 2016). Twenty seven
questionnaires were completed (the return rate was 42.86%). After the collection of responses,
the markings were transformed into a scale from 0 to 100 with the aid of a ruler. So, if the
respondent pointed out the continuous line centre in a question, then 50 points were coded to
this response, and so on. Because the data were collected from a single source, common
method variance can be a potential problem (Story et al., 2014). To analyse such variance, that
is attributable to the measurement method rather than to the constructs the measures
represent, was performed on the SPSS software the Harman’s single-factor test (σ 2 5 0.49045)
– one of the most widely used techniques to address the issue of common method variance
(Chang et al., 2010; Podsakoff et al., 2003).

Results and discussion

The analysis of questionnaire responses allowed for the identification of characteristics of the
data gathered. Table 2 presented the results obtained.
The average obtained for the individual competencies question (60.9), in relation to the
other responses, shows a relatively higher development of this macro-competence, possibly
associated to the establishment of course programs and events aimed at the development of
the competencies of employees. In this context, the main highlights are programs such as
“learning trails”, which aim at the personal and professional development of employees based
on to improvement and qualification actions they choose. The average reached for the
question about risk management (36.5) on the other hand, shows that this element
corresponds to an aspect that is still underdeveloped in these institutions. Specific actions are
however already observed in Brazilian public universities. One of them is the work developed
by the Risks and Disaster Management group organized by the Federal University of Rio

Avera- Mini- Maxi- Standard Excessive Asy-

ge Median mum mum deviation flattening mmetry

Human resource 47.3 46.0 2.0 100.0 27.2
0.775 0.305

management
Individual 60.9 63.0 2.0 100.0 28.7
0.866
0.362
competencies
Risk management 36.5 32.0 0.0 100.0 25.9
0.143 0.428
Table 2. Preparedness for 48.5 50.0 18.0 90.0 19.9
0.481 0.332
Basic statistics of response
collected data Responsiveness 52.6 50.0 21.0 93.0 20.3
0.499 0.389
Grande do Sul that investigates, among other aspects, the importance of the integration The resilience
between public policies and risk management actions. of public
The analysis of the data obtained also allowed for the identification of correlations
existing between the responses for each question (Table 3).
organizations
Among the results obtained, the strong correlation between “human resource
management” and “individual competencies” (0.761) – in the responses provided by the
Deans of Human Resource Management about these two competencies – is one of the
highlights. In addition to this aspect, the analysis of collected data has also allowed to 665
determine the significance of the paths (relations between macro-competences) for the
structural model from the bootstrapping routine (Table 4).
The structural coefficient and its standard deviation were calculated based on the sampled
data, using the bootstrapping routine to evaluate the variability and to ensure greater
calculation precision. The evaluation of the structural coefficient and its variability also
allowed the calculation of the t statistic, the associated p-value and the conclusion regarding

Human
resource Individual Risk Preparedness
management competencies management for response Responsiveness

Human resource 1.000 – – – –

management
Individual 0.761 1.000 – – –
competencies
Risk 0.600 0.409 1.000 – – Table 3.
management Correlations observed
Preparedness for 0.641 0.698 0.686 1.000 - among the responses
response obtained in the
Responsiveness 0.496 0.552 0.703 0.770 1.000 questionnaires

Structural Standard t- p Type of

coefficient deviation statistics value relationship

Human resource management – 0.761 0.108 7.045 0.000 Significant

Individual competencies
Human resource management – 0.685 0.333 2.058 0.040 Significant
Risk management
Human resource management –
0.092 0.283 0.323 0.747 Non-significant
Preparedness for response
Human resource management –
0.235 0.288 0.813 0.416 Non-significant
Responsiveness
Individual competencies – Risk
0.112 0.308 0.364 0.716 Non-significant
management
Individual competencies – 0.558 0.210 2.659 0.006 Significant
Preparedness for response
Individual competencies – 0.231 0.324 0.713 0.476 Non-significant
Responsiveness
Risk management – 0.512 0.183 2.807 0.005 Significant Table 4.
Preparedness for response Analysis of the
Risk management – 0.432 0.243 1.779 0.075 Non-significant responses obtained for
Responsiveness the macro-competences
Preparedness for Response – 0.463 0.340 1.361 0.174 Non-significant identified in literature
responsiveness (1st round)
JOEPP the significance (or not) of the tested paths. These results indicated the significance of four
9,4 paths: “human resource management – individual competencies”; “human resource
management – risk management”; “individual competencies – preparedness for response”;
and “risk management – preparedness for response”. However, in specific cases (when, for
example, the weight of the path is non-significant), it is also necessary to evaluate the bi-
varied correlation between the constructs to decide about the exclusion of the path in the final
model (Hair et al., 2014a). Based on this aspect and the strong correlation between the macro-
666 competences “risk management” and “responsiveness” (0.703), and among the macro-
competences “preparedness for response” and “responsiveness” (0.770), the model was
reviewed and a new bootstrapping analysis was carried out. This analysis considered these
two paths potentially significant, in addition to the four significant paths previously
mentioned. Table 5 presented the results obtained with the reviewed model.
The results obtained in the second round of the bootstrapping routine indicated that, in
relation to the reviewed model, all paths tested are significant (t > 1.96 and p < 0.05). Figure 2
presents the reviewed model built based on responses obtained from Deans of Human
Resource Management.
It is worth noting that the indices presented within the ellipses indicate the R2 (adjustment
of the statistical model) observed for each variable. The 0.680 index, for example, indicates

Structural Standard t- p Type of

coefficient deviation statistics value relationship

Human resource management – 0.761 0.108 7.043 0.000 Significant

Individual competencies
Human resource management – 0.600 0.171 3.511 0.000 Significant
Risk management
Individual competencies – 0.502 0.126 3.986 0.000 Significant
Preparedness for response
Table 5. Risk management – 0.481 0.119 4.035 0.000 Significant
Analysis of the Preparedness for response
responses obtained for Risk management – 0.330 0.168 1.962 0.049 Significant
the macro-competences Responsiveness
identified in literature Preparedness for response – 0.543 0.172 3.155 0.002 Significant
(2nd round) Responsiveness

Responsiveness
0.650

0.330
0.543
H9
H10
Preparedness for
Risk management 0.481 response
0.360 H8
0.680

0.600 0.502
H2 H6

Figure 2. Individual
Macro-competences Human resource
competencies
management 0.761
model for resilience 0.579
H1
that 68.0% of the variance of the macro-competence “preparedness for response” is explained The resilience
by the variables “risk management” and “individual competencies”. The variable “human of public
resource management”, in turn, does not have an R2 value, since it is considered an exogenous
variable (predictor) and independent of the others. Moreover, the indices presented along the
organizations
lines indicate the structural coefficients of the proposed model. Thus, the 0.330 index, for
example, corresponds to the weight of the path that links the macro-competences “risk
management” and “responsiveness”. From this, it is noted that macro-competence
“responsiveness” can be predicted from the following equation (where “R” is a constant): 667
responsiveness ¼ R þ 0; 543*preparedness for response þ 0; 330*risk management

It is also worth noting that the results are directly related to the proactive approach for the
development of resilience of individuals as proposed by Luthans et al. (2006). This can be
affirmed because the model proposed here encompasses the three types of strategy proposed
by these three authors. They are (1) the risk-focused strategy, which can be strengthened by a
risk management program; (2) the assets-focused strategy, which can be fostered by the
development of individual competencies and by the establishment of a human resource
management program; and (3) the process-focused, related to preparedness for response and
to the responsiveness of individuals and organizations. It is also considered that the reactive
approach, related to the emotional aspect of individuals, can also obtain gains with the
development of individual competencies and the establishment of a human resource
management program. This can be inferred because the adoption of human resources
management practices may affect individuals’ willingness to participate in learning activities
(Bednall et al., 2014), which can strengthen the individuals’ psychological capital.
Concerning the hypotheses validated, it is important to note that hypothesis 1 confirms
that the effective execution of the human resource management function may contribute for
the development of individual competencies. In this scope, it is considered that such
competencies, when aggregate to the organizational level, allow organizations to absorb
uncertainties, provide responses to crises, and use unpredicted facts threatening their
survival (Lengnick-Hall et al., 2011). To improve the bond between the macro-competences
“human resource management” and “development of individual competencies”, one
alternative is to develop competences that may contribute for the improvement of
resilience in the organizations. As examples, there are the organizational competences of
cultivating an organizational environment that facilitates the construction of individuals’
resilience and creating an atmosphere of open communication and collaboration (Cooper et al.,
2014; Lengnick-Hall et al., 2011).
Another hypothesis that was validated is that the effective execution of the human
resource management function contributes for the effective execution of the risk
management function (H2). This validation is aligned to the logic of Becker and Smidt
(2016) that human resource management corresponds to a critical element of risk
management. To strengthen this bond, it is important that organizations develop the skills
to strategically plan workforces and execute training programs that expose managers to the
skills needed during a crisis (Boselie et al., 2008; Wooten and James, 2008). As a benefit of
developing these competences, it is expected that the likelihood that crises will result in
negative impacts on organizations is minimized.
The confirmation of hypothesis 6, in turn, shows that the development of individual
competencies contributes for the effective execution of the preparedness for response
function. For such a stage of preparedness to be achieved, it is important that organizations
develop the competences to align the strategy with the decision-making process and to
understand how the relationship of organizational components affects the operation of the
system (Cardoso and Ramos, 2016; van der Vegt et al., 2015). Such competences shall
JOEPP contribute for individuals to see how they can cooperate so that the organization is resilient
9,4 and continues to reach its organizational objectives (Boswell, 2006; Boswell et al., 2006).
The validation of hypothesis 8 indicates that the effective execution of the risk
management function contributes for the effective execution of the preparedness for response
function. Risk management, in the organizational context, can be responsible for preparing
individuals to respond to adversities that the organizations may face. To enable this
preparation, one alternative is to develop organizational competences to continuously
668 investigate latent risks and to value the creation and maintenance of organizational resilience
(Richtn
er and L€ofsten, 2014; Seville et al., 2015). Based on that, it is expected that the
organizations remain attentive to signals from the environment that indicate potential threats
to their operations or to their growth (Seville et al., 2015).
The confirmation of hypothesis 9 indicates that the effective execution of the risk
management function contributes for the effective execution of the responsiveness function.
To establish such a gain relation, the organizational competences of anticipating trouble and
making well-informed decisions are important, as well as the competences of applying action
plans proposed by risk management in response to crises (van der Vegt et al., 2015; Wooten
and James, 2008). It is thus expected that the organizations present resilience attributes, such
as good reflexivity when dealing with adversities, minimization of unfavourable impacts and
maximization of the speed of recovery of the organization to the original state or, to a new,
desirable state (Annarelli and Nonino, 2016; Morel et al., 2008).
Finally, the hypothesis that the effective execution of the preparedness for response
function contributes for the effective execution of the responsiveness function was also
validated (H10). It is thus considered that preparing organizations and individuals to respond
to adversities may contribute for the organizations to make assertive decisions when in
adverse conditions. To qualify this preparedness, we suggest the development of
organizational competences to distribute power and attribute responsibility to individuals,
in addition to using the individuals’ experience to stop crisis (Lengnick-Hall et al., 2011;
Wooten and James, 2008).
The confirmed hypotheses integrated perspective, in turn, indicates the link established
between human resource management and organizational responsiveness. To strengthen
this relationship, efforts can be made to prepare individuals and organizations to face crisis
situations that can affect public organizations. Table 6 summarizes the competences to be

Paths Competences

Human resource management –
Individual competencies
Human resource management – Risk
management
Individual competencies –
Preparedness for response
Risk management – Preparedness for
response
Risk management – Responsiveness
Table 6.
Associated paths and Preparedness for response –
competences Responsiveness
Cultivate an organizational environment that will facilitate the
construction of resilience in the individuals
Create an atmosphere of open communication and collaboration
Strategically plan workforces
Execute training programs that expose the managers to the abilities
necessary during a crisis
Align the strategy with the decision-making process
Understand how the relationship of the organizational components
affects the operation of the system
Continuously test risk hypotheses
Value the creation and maintenance of organizational resilience
Anticipate trouble and make well-informed decisions
Apply the action plans proposed by risk management in crisis
response
Distribute power and assign responsibility to individuals
Use individuals’ experience to contain crises
developed to reinforce the paths and, as a consequence, the general model of macro- The resilience
competences. of public
organizations
Practical implications
This research was based on the scenario experienced by Brazilian Federal Institutions of
Higher Education. However, despite having specific characteristics, these institutions are
seen as ineffective and inefficient, as are several public organizations. So, for the public 669
administration scenario, we understand that the macro-competences model presented may
contribute for the development of multiple capacities and, consequently for the increment of
organizational resilience of the institutions that compose this scenario. Such an increment
should be observed from the establishment of management practices of human resources that
promote the development of the competences mentioned. In structures were formal factors
are predominant, as in public organizations, however, the actors that compose this structures
have a significant importance, as they may facilitate or inhibit learning processes (Santos and
Steil, 2015). Thus, for the improvement of resilience in these institutions, it is fundamental
that the actors composing this scenario (individuals, groups and organizations) commit
themselves with the process of continued education and learning that may emerge from the
adoption of advanced techniques of human resources practices. With the adoption of these
practices, it is expected that organizations develop competences that direct them to greater
organizational efficiency. Future research, in this realm, can identify if the development of the
competences suggested in this article contributed to the increase of organizational resilience.

Concluding remarks
The aim of this paper was to propose a model composed by macro-competences that may be
employed to contribute for the resilience of public organizations. The model developed is
characterized by having six paths, defined as follows: (1) human resource management
favouring the development of individual competencies, (2) human resource management
contributing to risk management, (3) individual competencies offering support to the
preparedness for response, (4) risk management supporting the activities of preparedness for
responses in adversity, (5) risk management contributing to responsiveness and (6)
preparedness for response providing higher responsiveness to the organization.
In addition to the model, competences to be developed along the paths identified were
proposed with a view towards the improvement of individual and organizational resiliencies.
The highlights among those competences are the organizational competences of strategically
planning the workforces, of testing the risk hypotheses continuously, and applying the action
plans proposed by risk management in response to crises. The competences presented
reinforce the organizational environment and the individuals’ importance to a resilient
organization. As the main benefit from the attention to the proposed model, it is expected that
public organizations will be better prepared to withstand adversities and to thrive after
facing crises situations. In addition, with the adoption of education and learning practices, it
is expected that organizations will be able to develop competences that direct them to greater
organizational efficiency.

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JOEPP Appendix
9,4 Resilience in Federal Institutions of Higher Education
This survey seeks to identify the situation of the elements that may contribute to resilience of Federal
Institutions of Higher Education. In this context, resilience is understood as the ability institutions have
to anticipate, get ready for, adapt to and thrive in situations of crises. There are only 5 questions to which
you should answer by marking an “X”. It is not necessary to identify yourself or your institution. We
appreciate your collaboration. Thank you.
674 Examples of adverse situations: an intermediate diagnosis indicates that some graduate programs
may bring down the ratings with Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel; an
intermediate diagnosis indicates that some undergraduate programs may lower the ratings with
Ministry of Education and Culture; a preliminary diagnosis shows that some undergraduate programs
may lose their accreditation; the university was informed that there will be an additional 20% cutback in
funding resources.

General Instructions
Please respond the question by marking and X on the line to identify the current situation of the
respective element in your institution. To facilitate, the line presents an intermediate marking, which
indicates the middle of the scale. You may mark X in any position on the line.

Questions
(1) At your institution, does the Office of the Dean of Human Resource Management have a
program of courses and events to increase institutional resilience (the capacity to anticipate, get
ready to, adapt to and thrive in adverse situations)?
Inexistent or incipient j—————————————j——————————————j
Fully deployed
(2) At your institution, does the Office of the Dean of Human Resource Management have a
program of courses and events to develop the employees’ individual competencies?
Inexistent or incipient j—————————————j——————————————j
Fully deployed
(3) Does your institution have a corporate risk management program? How would you classify this
program?
Inexistent or incipient j—————————————j——————————————j
Fully deployed
(4) Do you consider that your institution is ready to face risk and adversity?
Not or insufficiently prepared j————————————j————————————j
Fully prepared
(5) Do you consider that the employees at your institution are prepared to successfully respond,
within appropriate time, to risks and adversities?
Not or insufficiently prepared j———————————j—————————————j
Fully prepared
Thank you for your participation.

Corresponding author
V
ıtor Vasata Macchi Silva can be contacted at: vasata@hotmail.com

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