A dynamic model of organizational resilience: adaptive and anchored approaches

Abstract

Purpose Organizations of all types desire to be imbued with resilience, or the ability to withstand and bounce back from difficult events (Richardson, 2002; Walsh 2003). But resilience does not play the same role in every organization. Previous research (Weick and Sutcliffe, 2011) has argued that organizations can be more or less resilient. For high reliability organizations (HROs) such as fire crews and emergency medical units, resilience is a defining feature. Due to the life-or-death nature of their work, the ability to be successful in the face of difficult events is imperative to the process of HROs. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This is a theory piece. Findings The authors put forth a dual-spectrum model that introduces adaptive and anchored approaches to organizational resilience. Research limitations/implications There are organizations for which resilience is only enacted when the organization must overcome difficult events. And at the other end are organizations that may not enact resilience in difficult times, and therefore fail or deteriorate. But while it has been shown that organizations can be more or less resilient, there has been little attention paid to how organizations may have differing types of resilience. Originality/value In this piece, the authors theorize that resilience may differ in type between organizations. Drawing on theoretical approaches to resilience from communication (Buzzanell, 2010), organizational behavior (Weick and Sutcliffe, 2011), and motivational psychology (Dweck, 2016), the authors introduce a model that views resilience as a dynamic construct in organizations. The authors argue that an organization’s resilience-centered actions affect – and are determined by – its approach to Buzzanell’s (2010) five communicative processes of resilience. The authors offer testable propositions, as well as theoretical and practical implications from this model, not only for HROs, but for all organizations.

Organizational Resilience: A Valuable Construct for Management Research?

“…Suggested conceptualizations and dimensions of resilience are manifold (see supplementary material E). Early conceptualizations focus on specific behaviour that resilient organizations show (Coutu 2002; Hamel and Välikangas 2003; Horne and Orr 1998), which is extended by a recent article of Ishak and Williams (2018) within a typology of resilience behaviour based on the communicative mindset within the organization. The second group moved on to integrate resilient behaviour with resilience resources (Lengnick‐Hall and Beck 2005; Sutcliffe and Vogus 2003; Vogus and Sutcliffe 2007).…”

“…2009) and the ability to conquer denial (Hamel and Välikangas 2003). It has further been linked to the ability to make meaning in terrible times – that is to see the positive side of the situation and move on (Coutu 2002; Horne and Orr 1998), having a sense of identity and purpose (Ishak and Williams 2018; McCann et al . 2009) or the ability to see opportunities arising from the situation (Kantur and İşeri‐Say 2012; Vargo and Seville 2011).…”

The Resilient Organisation: A Meta‐Analysis of the Effect of Communication on Team Diversity and Team Performance

“…In so doing, resilience can be cultivated beyond the individual to firm level—that is, “across micro‐meso‐macro levels for a robust adaptive‐transformative design and implementation” (Buzzanell, , p. 16). Building on this viewpoint and suggesting that organisations are either anchored‐resilient (firms with identity anchors that help them bounce back to ordinary daily life after adversity) or adaptive‐resilient (firms that view disruptions as normal and ready to adapt in the face of adversity), Ishak and Williams () argue that communication processes operate differently depending on these types, and they are difficult to be measured and quantified. For this reason, we examine directly the effect of communication on team performance measures, as integral components of organisational resilience (see Figure ).…”

Uncovering the Link between Strategic Human Resource Management and Crisis Management: Mediating Role of Organizational Resilience

“…However, there is a paucity in the literature about how organizations can develop the capacity of resilience (Ishak & Williams, 2018). Most of the studies found in the literature (Parker & Ameen, 2018;Sutcliffe and Vogus, 2003) suggest the implications and outcomes of organizational resilience during the crisis.…”

“…Most of the studies found in the literature (Parker & Ameen, 2018;Sutcliffe and Vogus, 2003) suggest the implications and outcomes of organizational resilience during the crisis. Very limited attention has been paid so far towards the actions that create resilience in organizations (Galdeano, Ahmed, Fati, Rehan & Ahmed, 2019;Ishak & Williams, 2018). One of the antecedents of organizational resilience is strategic human resource management (SHRM) as suggested by (Stokes et al, 2018).…”