The Mediating Role of Employee Resilience in the Effect of Emotional Intelligence on Openness to Organizational Change

Abstract

Purpose – This study examines how employees' emotional intelligence (EI) and resilience, as key personal resources, influence openness to organizational change, focusing on the mediating role of resilience in EI's effect on change openness.

Design/methodology/approach – In this quantitative study, survey data were collected from 412 white-collar employees in Ankara technoparks. Participants were selected via convenience and snowball sampling to ensure demographic diversity. Measurement instruments included Wong and Law's Emotional Intelligence Scale (16 items, four dimensions), Smith et al.'s Resilience Scale (6 items), and the Turkish adaptation of Wanberg & Banas's Organizational Change Openness Scale (6 items). All scales demonstrated satisfactory reliability (Cronbach's α=.85–.95). Data were analyzed using SPSS 26 and AMOS 23: confirmatory factor analysis verified the measurement model, and Hayes's PROCESS macro was used for mediation analysis within a structural equation modeling framework.

Findings – The structural model results showed that all four EI dimensions had significant positive effects on openness to change, with employee resilience partially mediating these relationships. In particular, the indirect effect via resilience was strongest for the emotion regulation dimension (β=0.24). The model explained a substantial portion of variance in openness (R²≈.44–.55). All hypothesized mediation effects were supported.

Discussion – These results suggest that higher emotional intelligence, especially strong emotion-regulation skills, enhances individuals' psychological resilience, enabling them to cope better with stress and view organizational change more positively. This finding aligns with theory and research framing resilience as a protective psychological resource during change. The study underscores the strategic importance of developing employees' emotional intelligence and resilience to facilitate adaptation in organizational change processes.