Strategic factors conferring organizational resilience in SMEs during economic crises: a measurement scale
International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research
ISSN: 1355-2554
Article publication date: 6 June 2023
Issue publication date: 13 June 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to develop a strategic conceptualization and measurement scale of organizational resilience to support researchers examining how small firms prepare and respond deliberately to general disruptions in the operating environment over more extended time frames.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses a four-step process to develop, present and test (for predictive validity) a scale of strategic organizational resilience for frequent events or those needing long-term responses.
Findings
The resulting seven-factor measurement scale of organizational resilience consists of readiness, slack, problem-solving, flexibility, connectedness, adaptiveness and proactiveness.
Originality/value
The literature on organizational resilience explains how organizations recover from rare but catastrophic events by focusing on adaptation principles and short-term survival. The broader conceptualization presented here enables the study of organizational resilience in small-medium size enterprises (SMEs) across more frequent and pervasive events, such as financial crises, industry downturns and other forms of structural change and technological disruption. This is operationalized in a measure that includes new strategic factors associated with forward-planning and more traditional operationally focused elements.
Keywords
Citation
Verreynne, M.-L., Ford, J. and Steen, J. (2023), "Strategic factors conferring organizational resilience in SMEs during economic crises: a measurement scale", International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Vol. 29 No. 6, pp. 1338-1375. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-07-2022-0681
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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