DeReMa (Development Research of Management) Jurnal Manajemen
Vol. 21 No. 2 (2026): September

EMOTIONAL AGILITY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY IN THE NEW NORMAL ORGANIZATION: AN INTEGRATIVE LITERATURE SYNTHESIS FOR SUSTAINABLE HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

POLWASIT LHAKARD (Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna Chiang Mai)



Article Info

Publish Date
08 Sep 2026

Abstract

The move toward the new normal organization—hybrid and distributed work, deepening digital mediation, and the swift uptake of artificial intelligence—has widened employees’ flexibility while sharpening their psychological strain. Human resource development (HRD) models built for stable, co-located settings sit uneasily with the emotional vulnerability this shift produces. This article reviews two literatures that have matured largely apart: emotional agility, an individual capacity for engaging adaptively with one’s inner emotional life that draws on the science of emotion regulation and psychological flexibility; and psychological safety, a team-level belief that interpersonal risk-taking is safe. Drawing on an integrative literature review of Scopus, Web of Science, and the Thai-Journal Citation Index, searched on 15 January 2026, and synthesizing 25 peer-reviewed and foundational sources through thematic and conceptual integration rather than meta-analytic pooling, the review clarifies each construct, examines the obstacles the new normal places before both, and proposes—as a theoretical antecedent relationship for future empirical testing, not an established finding—that individual emotional agility serves as a proximal antecedent of team psychological safety, with agile and empathetic leadership acting as the connecting mechanism. The synthesis yields a multilevel framework that links the new normal environment, leadership, emotional agility, psychological safety, and sustainable HRD outcomes—retention, well-being, and innovation—and closes with implications for practice and a research agenda. Abstrak dalam Bahasa Indonesia : Perubahan menuju organisasi new normal yang ditandai dengan kerja hibrida, digitalisasi, dan adopsi kecerdasan buatan meningkatkan fleksibilitas sekaligus tekanan psikologis karyawan. Kondisi ini menuntut pendekatan pengembangan sumber daya manusia (SDM) yang lebih adaptif terhadap dinamika emosional di tempat kerja. Artikel ini mengintegrasikan dua konstruk yang berkembang secara terpisah, yaitu emotional agility, sebagai kemampuan individu untuk merespons dan mengelola emosi secara adaptif, dan psychological safety, sebagai keyakinan tim bahwa lingkungan kerja aman untuk mengambil risiko interpersonal. Melalui tinjauan literatur integratif terhadap 25 sumber dari Scopus, Web of Science, dan Thai-Journal Citation Index yang ditelusuri pada 15 Januari 2026, artikel ini menganalisis kedua konstruk tersebut dalam konteks new normal. Sintesis konseptual mengusulkan bahwa emotional agility individu dapat menjadi anteseden proksimal psychological safety pada tingkat tim, dengan kepemimpinan yang lincah dan empatik sebagai mekanisme penghubung. Kerangka multilevel yang dihasilkan menghubungkan lingkungan new normal, kepemimpinan, emotional agility, psychological safety, serta hasil SDM berkelanjutan berupa retensi, kesejahteraan, dan inovasi. Artikel ini memberikan implikasi bagi praktik SDM dan agenda penelitian empiris di masa mendatang.  

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