A Model for the Conceptual Framework of Resilient Organisations

Abstract

Purpose of the article. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced organisations to change their routines in an incredibly short period of time and to acquire new skills to enable them to act beyond their pre-crisis norms. As the economy slowed, most organisations suffered (and continue to suffer) huge losses, and are now attempting to return to pre-pandemic levels. In this paper, the authors argue that it is not enough to simply return to pre-pandemic levels. The resilience of an organisation is key, which is based on the fundamental premise that crises are natural in the evolution of any organisation. As such, it is important that organisations focus not on how to protect themselves from difficult situations, but on learning how to live with them and how to use the acquired experience as a driving force to bounce-forward. The purpose of this article is to explore theoretical approaches and utilise methodological tools to reveal the key characteristics of resilient organisations.

Methodology/methods. The systematic literature review (SLR) method was applied to collect and synthesise relevant scientific literature. SLR was performed under PSALSAR framework

Scientific aim. The scientific aim of the study was to perform a SLR of resilient organisations for the period of 2001–2021. The authors sought to identify theoretical evidence that answers the following research questions:

• How has the phenomenon of resilient organisations been identified and defined?
• Which theories and concepts have been used to explain the phenomenon of resilient organisations?

Findings. The concept of resilience has outgrown its original interpretation, which focused on organisational ability to withstand crises and return activities to pre-crisis levels. Today’s resilience represents not only the ability to return to the routine and to adapt to the changed environment by overcoming dynamic events, but also to enhance learning capacity, which allows for growth by constantly learning from oneself and gaining unique experiences.

Conclusions. The SLR revealed that the concept of resilience is transforming into a structure based on the basic provision that a resilient organisation is not only able to withstand difficult situations and return to pre-crisis levels, but also to use the experience of crises as a driving force to bounce-forward. In this context, the authors propose a new concept of resilience – the resilient organisation bounce-forward framework –  in which three stages perform interconnectedly: robustness – static stability; resilience – dynamic stability and adaptation; and antifragility – unique transformation.

Keywords: Resilient organisations, antifragility, bounce-forward, systematic literature review, PSALSAR framework.

JEL Classification: D81, D23, Q56

This research project received funding from European Social Fund No 09.3.3-LMT-K-712-19-0218 under grant agreement with the Research Council of Lithuania (LMTLT)