Psychological capital, coping mechanisms and organizational resilience: Insights from the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake, New Zealand

Abstract

Psychological capital (PsyCap) of tourism business owners and managers in the face of adversity has received scant attention. This study explores how the four components (self-efficacy, hope, optimism and psychological resilience) of PsyCap affect organizational resilience in a post-quake environment. Using a case-study approach and in-depth interviews with small tourism business owners and managers in Kaikoura, New Zealand, we found that problem-focused and emotion-focused coping mechanisms enabled participants to activate PsyCap components to build organizational resilience. Realistic optimism of owners and managers, for example, fuelled problem-focused coping strategies that led to greater situation awareness of changes in both the internal and external business environment. The findings have implications for small tourism businesses as they navigate the recovery process following major disasters.