WHEN LEADERS RESIST CHANGE: HOW A FIXED MINDSET UNDERMINES DIGITAL HRM’S CONTRIBUTION TO ORGANIZATIONAL RESILIENCE

Abstract

In disruption-prone and uncertain environments, organizational resilience has become a strategic necessity, particularly for firms operating in labor-intensive and export-dependent industries. Drawing on the Resource-Based View (RBV), this study investigates how Digital Human Resource Management (Digital HRM) contributes to organizational resilience in Pakistan’s textile sector, and whether Leaders’ Fixed Mindset (LFMS) conditions this relationship. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional research design, data were collected from 410 textile firms through a structured online survey administered to HR managers, directors, and HR professionals. The study employed SPSS for descriptive statistics, reliability and validity analysis, and regression estimation, while moderation testing was conducted using PROCESS Macro (Model 1) with 5,000 bootstrap resamples. The measurement model demonstrated satisfactory indicator reliability, internal consistency, and convergent validity. The findings reveal that Digital HRM has a positive and statistically significant effect on organizational resilience, indicating that digital HR practices enhance firms’ ability to sustain continuity and respond effectively under turbulent conditions. Importantly, the results further show that LFMS significantly moderates the Digital HRM–resilience relationship, suggesting that the resilience benefits of Digital HRM are weakened when leaders resist change, experimentation, and learning-oriented system use. From an RBV perspective, Digital HRM represents a potentially valuable organizational resource; however, its strategic value depends on leadership conditions that enable effective deployment and capability development. This study extends digital HRM scholarship by linking HR digitalization to resilience outcomes in a critical emerging-economy manufacturing context, while also highlighting leadership mindset as a key boundary condition. Practically, the findings imply that textile firms should complement digital HR investments with leadership development initiatives to strengthen change readiness and maximize resilience gains.