Building crisis resilience in African organizations: The role of relational systems, team-member exchange, and mindfulness

Abstract

This study examines how relational systems (flexibility, cohesion, and communication) and perceived crisis severity shape team-member exchange (TMX), and how TMX relates to employee resilience and performance during the COVID-19 crisis in Ghana. Drawing on social exchange theory, we also test employee mindfulness as a boundary condition. Survey data from 411 employees across industries were analyzed using PLS-SEM. Flexibility, cohesion, communication, and perceived crisis severity were positively associated with TMX. TMX, in turn, predicted resilience and performance, and resilience further enhanced performance. Moderation tests provided limited support: mindfulness weakened (rather than strengthened) the cohesion-TMX relationship, while the remaining interaction effects were non-significant. The findings extend social exchange theorizing to coworker exchanges in an African crisis setting and underscore the importance of relational systems and TMX for sustaining resilient performance under disruption.