From Stress to Strength: A Multilevel Longitudinal Study of Involvement, Resilience, and Performance

This study examines how high-involvement work practices (HIWPs) enhance employee performance in nonprofit human service organizations (HSOs). Employee resilience is proposed as a psychological resource mediating the relationship between HIWPs and job performance, with job stress serving as a boundary condition shaping this relationship. Data were collected from 270 employees across 30 nonprofit HSOs using a two-wave longitudinal design with a six-month interval and analyzed via hierarchical linear modeling. Results indicate that HIWPs significantly foster employee resilience, which subsequently enhances job performance, while job stress amplifies the positive effect of resilience on performance under demanding conditions. This study provides novel evidence on the moderating role of job stress in the resilience–performance relationship and offers one of the first multilevel longitudinal examinations of HIWPs’ effects on performance. Findings extend strategic human resource management, positive psychology, and HSOs scholarship while providing practical insights for strengthening workforce effectiveness in high-demand human service environments.