The geography of strain: organizational resilience as a function of intergroup relations

Organizational resilience is an organization’s ability to absorb strain and preserve or improve functioning, despite the presence of adversity. In existing scholarship there is the implicit assumption that organizations experience and respond holistically to acute forms of adversity. We challenge this assumption by theorizing about how adversity can create differential strain, affecting parts of an organization rather than the whole. We argue that relations among those parts fundamentally shape organizational resilience. We develop a theoretical model that maps how the differentiated emergence of strain in focal parts of an organization triggers the movements of adjoining parts to provide or withhold resources necessary for the focal parts to adapt effectively. Drawing on core principles of theories about intergroup relations, we theorize about three specific pathways—integration, disavowal, and reclamation—by which responses of adjoining parts to focal part strain shape organizational resilience. We further theorize about influences on whether and when adjoining parts are likely to select different pathways. The resulting theory reveals how the social processes among parts of organizations influence member responses to adversity and, ultimately, organizational resilience. We conclude by noting the implications for organizational resilience theory, research, and practice.Accepted manuscrip

Resilience Capacity and Strategic Agility: Prerequisites for Thriving in a Dynamic Environment

organizational resilience, strategic agility, competitive dynamics

What we know and do not know about organizational resilience

[EN] We present a literature review about organizational resilience, with the goal of identifying how organizational resilience is conceptualized and assessed. The two research questions that drive the review are: (1) how is organizational resilience conceptualized? and (2) how is organizational resilience assessed? We answer the first question by analysing organizational resilience definitions and the attributes or characteristics that contribute to develop resilient organizations. We answer the second question by reviewing articles that focus on tools or methods to measure organizational resilience. Although there are three different ways to define organizational resilience, we found common ideas in the definitions. We also found that organizational resilience is considered a property, ability or capability that can be improved over time. However, we did not find consensus about the elements that contribute to improving the level of organizational resilience and how to assess it. Based on the results of the review, we propose a conceptualization of organizational resilience that integrates the three views found in the literature. We also propose a four-level Maturity Model for Organizational Resilience – MMOR. Using this model, the organization can be in one of the following levels based on its ability and capacity to handle disruptive events: fragile, robust, resilient or antifragile.This research is partially supported by University of Valladolid, Banco Santander and NSERCRuiz-Martin, C.; López-Paredes, A.; Wainer, G. (2018). What we know and do not know about organizational resilience. International Journal of Production Management and Engineering. 6(1):11-28. doi:10.4995/ijpme.2018.7898SWORD11286

An analytic framework to assess organizational resilience

Background: Resilience Engineering is a paradigm for safety management that focuses on coping with complexity to achieve success, even considering several conflicting goals. Modern socio-technical systems have to be resilient to comply with the variability of everyday activities, the tight-coupled and underspecified nature of work and the nonlinear interactions among agents. At organizational level, resilience can be described as a combination of four cornerstones: monitoring, responding, learning and anticipating. Methods: Starting from these four categories, this paper aims at defining a semi-quantitative analytic framework to measure organizational resilience in complex socio-technical systems, combining the Resilience Analysis Grid (RAG) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Results: This paper presents an approach for defining resilience abilities of an organization, creating a structured domain-dependent framework to define a resilience profile at different levels of abstraction, to identify weaknesses and strengths of the system and thus potential actions to increase system’s adaptive capacity. An illustrative example in an anaesthesia department clarifies the outcomes of the approach. Conclusions: The outcome of the RAG, i.e. a weighted set of probing questions, can be used in different domains, as a support tool in a wider Safety-II oriented managerial action to bring safety management into the core business of the organization

Connecting Organizational Learning Strategies to Organizational Resilience

Purpose: The objective of this study is to analyze the conceptual and domain overlap of organizational learning and organizational resilience; specifically, the adaptation or renewal domain in organizational resilience. From the findings, strategies to foster collective learning leading to organizational resilience are identified and outlined

Connecting Organizational Learning Strategies to Organizational Resilience

The objective of this study is to analyze the conceptual and domain overlap of organizational learning and organizational resilience; specifically, the adaptation or renewal domain in organizational resilience. From the findings, strategies to foster collective learning leading to organizational resilience are identified and outlined

Knowledge Management and Organizational Resilience in Iranian Public Organizations

This study examines the relationship between knowledge management and organizational resilience. The statistical population of this study is 28 Public organization of Iran. The sample for the Study determined 270 Meddle and senior Managers that selected by simple random sampling. Organizational resilience questionnaires Mafabi et al (2012) and Knowledge management Amah (2013) were used. The reliability of the questionnaires in Iran renew determined. Data analysis was performed by means of descriptive and inferential statistics. Using descriptive statistics, demographic characteristics were examined. Pearson correlation coefficient used for answers to research hypothesis. The study was performed using the statistical software SPSS20. The results showed a positive and significant relationship between knowledge management and organizational resilience. Specifically, knowledge acquisition, knowledge storage, knowledge sharing and knowledge utilization, were revealed to have a positive and significant influence on organizational resilience. Hence, concluded that knowledge management specifically knowledge acquisition, knowledge storage, knowledge sharing and knowledge utilization, enhances organizational resilience in Iranian public organizations. Keywords: knowledge management, organizational resilience, knowledge acquisition, knowledge storage, knowledge sharing, knowledge utilization

Organizational Resilience: A Dynamic Capability of Complex Systems

In recent years, the concept of organizational resilience has largely attracted the interest of academicians and practitioners alike. A fair number of researches have been conducted on developing the concept of organizational resilience. However, there seems to be a lack of consensus over its conceptualization mainly because the concept itself is prodigious and is used in a variety of disciplines. Furthermore, research within the domain of organizational resilience has been outcome oriented; however, questions addressing the drivers of resilience are yet to be answered. On the other hand, research within the domain of dynamic capabilities view have long been criticized as tautological, resistant to operationalization, and lacking the unification of thought. However, there exists a sufficient degree of conceptual similitude between the two concepts, mainly due to their epistemological similarities grounded within the theoretical assumptions of chaotic systems, environmental dynamism, and systems thinking. Incorporating both perspectives in parallel for understanding the theoretical connections can lead to clarifications at an ontological level. Therefore, this paper attempts to propose a holistic model of organizational resilience by incorporating a lens metaphor of dynamic capabilities view. This paper is divided into four sections. The first section of this paper lays down the multidisciplinary discourses within the realm of organizational resilience. The second section highlights the management discourse about the conceptualization of organizational resilience. The third section of this paper uses a lens metaphor of dynamic capabilities view in an attempt to add depth to the concept of organizational resilience. The fourth and the final section attempts to propose the drivers of organizational resilience from a strategic viewpoint

Organizational Resilience: A Paradox-Based Conceptualization

The concept of resilience has recently gained significant popularity in organizational research. It is considered to be a very promising concept for explaining how businesses can survive and develop in the face of adversity or instability.  Past literature focuses on various perspectives of organizational resilience and frameworks mainly based on processes, resources and capabilities. However, a significant amount of these studies have focused on polarized attributes resulting in contradiction of studies which blurs the conceptualization of organizational resilience. The purpose of this study is to address this gap by critically evaluating the phases or dimensions of the organizational resilience process and its contradictions in order to improve the understanding of this complex and embedded construct. Findings in the study reveal that the contradictions which are encountered in different phases of the organizational resilience process are paradoxical tensions.  Paradoxical thinking refers to opposite demands that are contradictory or polarized but are interconnected and such tensions should be managed by both/and approach instead of either/or approach. The anticipation phase consists of opposite tensions of opportunities or threats, the concurrent phase consists of tensions of stability or adaptability, and finally, the reactive phase consists of tensions of growth or performance. Therefore the new framework conceptualizes organizational resilience dimensions to be managed as a paradox to enhance the understanding of the concept of organizational resilience and thereby facilitate its operationalization. The proposed conceptual framework configuration can add to the business and management literature by enhancing the comprehensive conceptualization of organizational resilience. Keywords: Conceptualization, Dynamic capabilities, Organizational resilience, Paradoxical thinking, Resilience proces

Strategic Sustainability Orientation Influence on Organizational Resilience: Moderating Effect of Firm Size

Background: Owing to the heaviness of setbacks and shocks companies frequently face from the internal/external business environment, building solid organizational resilience and shifting towards strategic sustainability have become the top demands in today\u27s wavering business world. Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether strategic sustainability orientation influences organizational resilience and how this relationship is moderated by firm size. Methods/Approach: This study uses a methodology structured around the stakeholder theory and embraces multiple regression analysis grounded on collected data from 124 enterprises in Bosnia and Herzegovina ambience. Results: Findings from the research revealed that strategic sustainability orientation significantly and positively influences organizational resilience and its three sub-components: anticipation, coping and adaptation capabilities. Results also uncovered that the Small size firms were significantly diverse from the Large and Medium size firms in terms of the influence of strategic sustainability orientation on three capabilities of organizational resilience. Conclusions: In addition to literature enriching in sustainability and organization by supplying empirical evidence of strategic sustainability orientation influence on organizational resilience, this study proposes and validates instruments for measuring strategic sustainability orientation and organizational resilience