Strategic behaviour and resilience of an industrial enterprise to the external environment

Abstract

The growing turbulence of the environment requires an industrial enterprise to find new approaches to choosing its development strategy. The study proposes a method for assessing the level of resilience of machine-building companies depending on the type of their strategic behaviour. Methodologically, the research rests on the theory of the firm and strategic management theory. Structural and logical analysis, expert assessments, matrixing, statistical and financial analysis were used as research methods. The empirical evidence is the data from the Russian Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) and the SBIS counterparty verification system. We clarify the concepts of resilience and strategic behaviour of a machine-building enterprise and propose our own definition of resilience. We distinguish between four types of strategic behaviour of enterprises when contacting the external environment, namely the maximum control possible, constructive interaction, adaptation with elements of control, and forced adaptation. A relationship was discovered between the level of resilience and the type of strategic behaviour of an industrial enterprise. The findings were tested using the case of four machine-building plants specializing in the production of lifting equipment. We found significant differentiation in the level of resilience of the enterprises under study and established which of the four types of strategic behaviour was typical of each. This will allow them to exercise a more reasonable approach when instituting their development strategy amid turbulence.