The moderating role of resilience in the conflict and happiness at work relationship conflict, resilience and happiness

Abstract

Abstract The literature shows that conflict reduces happiness at work, while resilience stimulates it. Purpose. This paper aims to analyze whether a personal capability, namely resilience, moderates the relationship between interpersonal relationship conflict at work and personal happiness at work among teachers. Method. A questionnaire was administered to non-university teachers in the Campo de Gibraltar region of Spain. Key-findings. The conflict negatively affects teachers' happiness and the resilience moderates this relationship, mitigating the negative effect caused by conflict. However, analyzing the effects of the interaction term yields interesting findings that point to the importance of dosage in both conflict and resilience. Situations that adhere to the effect of "Too Much of a Good Thing" and "Too Little of a Bad Thing" are observed. Neither a context of very high resilience, except under certain conditions, nor one of very low conflict seems to be beneficial for teachers' personal happiness. Conclusion. The main conclusion is that when teachers have very high resilience, they achieve their highest levels of happiness in contexts where conflict is increasing. Therefore, the study seems to indicate that highly resilient people know how to deal with conflict, understand it as a natural part of educational organizations, and see it as a challenge rather than a threat. Implications. The traditional conception of the effects of both antecedents is therefore challenged. This study contributes to the literature on Positive Psychology and positive organizational behavior. In addition, it provides useful information for school leaders, teachers themselves, policy makers, researchers, and ultimately, society.