Share:


Why can organizational resilience not be measured?

    Jose Sevilla Affiliation
    ; Cristina Ruiz-Martín Affiliation
    ; José Juan Nebro Affiliation
    ; Adolfo López-Paredes Affiliation

Abstract

Our aim is to justify why organizational resilience cannot be measured in an ex-ante way and the consequences we can draw from it. To achieve this goal, we examine the relations between different approaches to organizational resilience and the tight interrelation between organizational resilience and organizational and dynamic capabilities. We argue that most proposals about organizational resilience conceptualization, and the metrics derived from them, are closely related. They represent the same core concepts, facts, and relations. Additionally, far from there being no consensus about organizational resilience, researchers are presenting the same ideas with different terms. This implies that there are no better or worse definitions or conceptualizations for organizational resilience, but models are more or less suitable depending on the approach to be established. We agree with the proposal that organizational resilience is a dynamic capability and, as such, it should be studied and considered. This review led us to conclude that because organizational resilience is a dynamic process, it cannot be measured or estimated in an ex-ante way. The fact that organizational resilience cannot be measured brings us to the question of how organizations can address organizational resilience improvement, evaluate their progress, and the tools they can use.

Keyword : organizational resilience, conceptualization, measurement, models, dynamic capabilities, risks, firm behavior

How to Cite
Sevilla, J., Ruiz-Martín, C., Nebro, J. J., & López-Paredes, A. (2023). Why can organizational resilience not be measured?. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 24(2), 199–220. https://doi.org/10.3846/jbem.2023.18819
Published in Issue
May 5, 2023
Abstract Views
1482
PDF Downloads
1469
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Ahmed, E., Kilika, J., & Gakenia, C. (2021). Progressive convergent definition and conceptualization of organizational resilience: A model development. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 10(4), 385–400. https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2021.60599

Aleksandrova, S. V., Aleksandrov, M. N., & Vasiliev, V. A. (2018). Business continuity management system. In Proceedings of the 2018 International Conference “Quality Management, Transport and Information Security, Information Technologies” (IT & QM & IS) (pp. 14–17). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ITMQIS.2018.8525111

Amit, R., & Schoemaker, P. J. H. (1993). Strategic assets and organizational rent. Strategic Management Journal, 14(1), 33–46. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250140105

Baghersad, M., & Zobel, C. W. (2022). Organizational resilience to disruption risks: Developing metrics and testing effectiveness of operational strategies. Risk Analysis, 42(3), 561–579. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.13769

Barreto, I. (2010). Dynamic capabilities: A review of past research and an agenda for the future. Journal of Management, 36(1), 256–280. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206309350776

Béné, C. (2013). Towards a quantifiable measure of resilience (IDS Working Paper 434). Institute of Development Studies. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2040-0209.2013.00434.x

Béné, C., Wood, R. G., Newsham, A., & Davies, M. (2012). Resilience: New utopia or new tyranny. Reflection about the potentials and limits of the concept of resilience in relation to vulnerability reduction programmes (IDS Working Paper 405). Institute of Development Studies. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2040-0209.2012.00405.x

Bento, F., Garotti, L., & Mercado, M. P. (2021). Organizational resilience in the oil and gas industry: A scoping review. Safety Science, 133, 105036. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2020.105036

Bhamra, R., Dani, S., & Burnard, K. (2011). Resilience: The concept, a literature review and future directions. International Journal of Production Research, 49(18), 5375–5393. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2011.563826

Birkie, S. E., Trucco, P., & Fernandez Campos, P. (2017). Effectiveness of resilience capabilities in mitigating disruptions: Leveraging on supply chain structural complexity. Supply Chain Management, 22(6), 506–521. https://doi.org/10.1108/SCM-01-2017-0009

Brown, C., Seville, E., & Vargo, J. (2017). Measuring the organizational resilience of critical infrastructure providers: A New Zealand case study. International Journal of Critical Infrastructure Protection, 18, 37–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcip.2017.05.002

Caniato, F. F. A., & Rice, J. (2003). Building a secure and resilient supply chain. Supply Chain Management Review, 7(5), 22–30.

Chen, R., Liu, Y., & Zhou, F. (2021b). Turning danger into safety: The origin, research context and theoretical framework of organizational resilience. IEEE Access, 9, 48899–48913. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3069301

Chen, R., Xie, Y., & Liu, Y. (2021a). Defining, conceptualizing, and measuring organizational resilience: A multiple case study. Sustainability, 13(5), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052517

Cimellaro, G. P., Reinhorn, A. M., & Bruneau, M. (2010). Framework for analytical quantification of disaster resilience. Engineering Structures, 32(11), 3639–3649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2010.08.008

Corrales-Estrada, A. M., Gómez-Santos, L. L., Bernal-Torres, C. A., & Rodriguez-López, J. E. (2021). Sustainability and resilience organizational capabilities to enhance business continuity management: A literature review. Sustainability, 13(15), 8196. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158196

Dalziell, E. P., & McManus, S. T. (2004, December). Resilience, vulnerability, and adaptive capacity: Implications for system performance. In 1st International Forum for Engineering Decision Making (IFED). University of Canterbur, Stoos, Switzerland.

Denrell, J., & Powell, T. C. (2016). Dynamic capability as a theory of competitive advantage. In D. J. Teece & S. Heaton (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of dynamic capabilities. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199678914.013.007

Duchek, S. (2020). Organizational resilience: A capability-based conceptualization. Business Research, 13(1), 215–246. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40685-019-0085-7

Eisenhardt, K. M., & Martin, J. A. (2000). Dynamic capabilities: What are they? Strategic Management Journal, 21(10–11), 1105–1121.

Engemann, K. J., & Henderson, D. M. (2014). Business continuity and risk management: Essentials of organizational resilience. Rothstein Publishing.

Escamilla-Solano, S., Plaza-Casado, P., & Prado-Román, M. (2020). Organizational capability. In E. G. Carayannis (Ed.), Encyclopedia of creativity, invention, innovation and entrepreneurship (pp. 1791–1794). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15347-6_200016

Goldschmidt, C. C., Paiva, K. C. M. de, & Irigaray, H. A. R. (2019). Organizational resilience: Proposition for an integrated model and research agenda. Tourism & Management Studies, 15(3), 37–46. https://doi.org/10.18089/tms.2019.150304

Grewal, R., & Slotegraaf, R. J. (2007). Embeddedness of organizational capabilities. Decision Sciences, 38(3), 451–488. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5915.2007.00166.x

Hase, S. (2000). Measuring organisational capability: Beyond competence. Graduate College of Management Papers.

Helfat, C E. (2003). The SMS Blackwell handbook of organizational capabilities: Emergence. Development, and Change. Blackwell Publishing.

Helfat, C. E., Finkelstein, S., Mitchell, W., Peteraf, M., Singh, H., Teece, D., & Winter, S. G. (2009). Dynamic capabilities: Understanding strategic change in organizations. John Wiley & Sons.

Hillmann, J. (2021). Disciplines of organizational resilience: Contributions, critiques, and future research avenues. Review of Managerial Science, 15(4), 879–936. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-020-00384-2

Home III, J. F., & Orr, J. E. (1997). Assessing behaviors that create resilient organizations. Employment Relations Today, 24(4), 29–39. https://doi.org/10.1002/ert.3910240405

Hundal, G. S., Thiyagarajan, S., Alduraibi, M., Laux, C. M., Furterer, S. L., Cudney, E. A., & Antony, J. (2021). Lean Six Sigma as an organizational resilience mechanism in health care during the era of COVID-19. International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, 12(4), 762–783. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLSS-11-2020-0204

Ilseven, E., & Puranam, P. (2021). Measuring organizational resilience as a performance outcome. Journal of Organization Design, 10, 127–137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41469-021-00107-1

International Organization for Standardization. (2017). Security and resilience – Organizational resilience – Principles and attributes (ISO Standard No. 22316:2017) https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:22316:ed-1:v1:en

International Organization for Standardization. (2019). Security and resilience – Business continuity management systems – Requirements (ISO Standard No. 22301:2019). https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:22301:ed-2:v1:en

Javidan, M. (1998). Core competence: What does it mean in practice? Long Range Planning, 31(1), 60–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0024-6301(97)00091-5

Joshi, A., Kale, S., Chandel, S., & Pal, D. K. (2015). Likert scale: Explored and explained. Journal of Applied Science & Technology, 7(4), 396–403. https://doi.org/10.9734/BJAST/2015/14975

Koronis, E., & Ponis, S. (2018). Better than before: The resilient organization in crisis mode. Journal of Business Strategy, 39(1), 32–42. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBS-10-2016-0124

Laaksonen, O., & Peltoniemi, M. (2018). The essence of dynamic capabilities and their measurement. International Journal of Management Reviews, 20(2), 184–205. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12122

Lam, W. (2002). Ensuring business continuity. IT Professional, 4(3), 19–25. https://doi.org/10.1109/MITP.2002.1008533

Lee, A., Vargo, J., & Seville, E. (2013). Developing a tool to measure and compare organizations’ resilience. Natural Hazards Review, 14(1), 29–41. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000075

Lengnick-Hall, C. A., Beck, T. E., & Lengnick-Hall, M. L. (2011). Developing a capacity for organizational resilience through strategic human resource management. Human Resource Management Review, 21(3), 243–255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2010.07.001

Linnenluecke, M. K., & Griffiths, A. (2012). Assessing organizational resilience to climate and weather extremes: Complexities and methodological pathways. Climatic Change, 113(3), 933–947. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-011-0380-6

Likert, R. (1932). A technique for the measurement of attitudes. Archives of Psychology, 22(140), 55.

Liu, Y., Chen, R., Zhou, F., Zhang, S., & Wang, J. (2021). Analysis of the influencing factors of organizational resilience in the ISM framework: An exploratory study based on multiple cases. Sustainability, 13(23), 13492. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313492

Mallak, L. A. (1998). Measuring resilience in health care provider organizations. Health Manpower Management, 24(4), 148–152. https://doi.org/10.1108/09552069810215755

McManus, S., Seville, E., Brunsdon, D., & Vargo, J. (2007). Resilience management. A framework for assessing and improving the resilience of organisations. Resilient Organisations, New Zealand.

Mitchell, T., & Harris, K. (2012). Resilience: A risk management approach (Background note). Overseas Development Institute.

Nagarajan, R., & Prabhu, R. (2015). Competence and capability: A new look. International Journal of Management, 6(6), 7–11.

Ortiz-de-Mandojana, N., & Bansal, P. (2016). The long-term benefits of organizational resilience through sustainable business practices. Strategic Management Journal, 37(8), 1615–1631. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2410

Parsons, D. (2007, December 5–7). National organisational resilience framework workshop: The outcomes. National Organisational Resilience Framework Workshop, Mt. Macedon Victoria, Australia.

Pathak, D., & Joshi, G. (2021). Impact of psychological capital and life satisfaction on organizational resilience during COVID-19: Indian tourism insights. Current Issues in Tourism, 24(17), 2398–2415. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1844643

Păunescu, C., & Argatu, R. (2020). Critical functions in ensuring effective business continuity management. Evidence from Romanian companies. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 21(2), 497–520. https://doi.org/10.3846/jbem.2020.12205

Porter, M. E. (2011). Competitive advantage of nations: Creating and sustaining superior performance. Simon and Schuster.

Ruiz-Martin, C., Lopez-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. https://doi.org/10.4995/ijpme.2018.7898

Samba, C., & Vera, D. M. (2013). Toward a theory of organizational resilience: The assessment-acceptance-amendment model. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2013(1), 16476. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2013.16476abstract

Somers, S. (2009). Measuring resilience potential: An adaptive strategy for organizational crisis planning. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 17(1), 12–23. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5973.2009.00558.x

Stalk, G., Evans, P., & Schulman, L. E. (1992). Competing on capabilities: The new rules of corporate strategy. Harvard Business Review, 70(2), 57–69.

Stalk, Jr, G., Evans, P., & Shulman, L. E. (2012). Competing on capabilities. In M. Deimler, R. Lesser, D. Rhodes, & J. Sinha (Eds.), Own the future: 50 ways to win from the Boston Consulting Group (pp. 41–51). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119204084.ch5

Teece, D. J. (2007). Explicating dynamic capabilities: The nature and microfoundations of (sustainable) enterprise performance. Strategic Management Journal, 28(13), 1319–1350. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.640

Teece, D. J., Pisano, G., & Shuen, A. (1997). Dynamic capabilities and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 18(7), 509–533. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199708)18:7<509::AID-SMJ882>3.0.CO;2-Z

Tranfield, D., Denyer, D., & Smart, P. (2003). Towards a methodology for developing evidence-informed management knowledge by means of systematic review. British Journal of Management, 14(3), 207–222. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.00375

Ulrich, D., & Lake, D. (1991). Organizational capability: Creating competitive advantage. Academy of Management Perspectives, 5(1), 77–92. https://doi.org/10.5465/ame.1991.4274728

van den Berg, J., Alblas, A., Blanc, P., & Romme, A. G. L. (2021). How structural empowerment boosts organizational resilience: A case study in the Dutch home care industry. Organization Studies, 43(9), 1425–1451. https://doi.org/10.1177/01708406211030659

van Oppen, C., & Brugman, L. (2011). Organizational capabilities as the key to sustainable innovation. https://www.squarewise.com/downloads/publicaties/Organizational_Capabilities_as_the_Key_to_Sustainable_Innovation2.pdf

Vincent, L. (2008). Differentiating competence, capability and capacity. Innovating Perspectives, 16(3), 1–2.

Walker, B., Carpenter, S., Anderies, J., Abel, N., Cumming, G. S., Janssen, M., Lebel, L., Norberg, J., Peterson, G. D., & Pritchard, R. (2002). Resilience management in social-ecological systems: A working hypothesis for a participatory approach. Conservation Ecology, 6(1), 14. https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol6/iss1/art14/

Werner, M. J. E., Yamada, A. P. L., Domingos, E. G. N., Leite, L. R., & Pereira, C. R. (2021). Exploring organizational resilience through key performance indicators. Journal of Industrial and Production Engineering, 38(1), 51–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/21681015.2020.1839582

Wildavsky, A. (1991). Searching for safety. Transaction Books.

Yao, Y., & Fabbe-Costes, N. (2018). Can you measure resilience if you are unable to define it? The analysis of Supply Network Resilience (SNRES). Supply Chain Forum, 19(4), 255–265. https://doi.org/10.1080/16258312.2018.1540248

Zhang, Q., Vonderembse, M. A., & Lim, J. (2002). Value chain flexibility: A dichotomy of competence and capability. International Journal of Production Research, 40(3), 561–583. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207540110091695