Abstract
Many contemporary organization s must deal with high levels of environmental uncertainty, complexity and equivocality , struggling with not only strong competitive pressures but also increasing uncertainty related to sociopolitical and economic trends within the frame of a risk society. The centrality of resilience in contemporary managerial discourse is mostly related to the social, political, environmental and economic turmoil and jolts, to which organizations have been exposed during the past decades. Organizational survival is therefore increasingly challenged, and to survive and prosper, organizations must transform jolts and shocks into new and resilient solutions. Organizational resilience refers to the ability of an organization to continue to meet its core functions by finding and implementing in a fast and timely manner organizational micro and microstructure able to transform uncertainty into new solutions. While the progressive turbulence of the external environment requires organizations to be more resilient, the design of organizational resilience appears to be still limited to its adaptability to the external environment. Within this context, this chapter draws an original proposal on the design of resilient organizations considering both micro/individual-level and macro/design-level features.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Arthur, J. B., & Boyles, T. (2007). Developing the human resource system structure: A levels-based framework for strategic HRM research. Human Resource Management Review, 17(1), 77–92.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.
Bandura, A. (2006). Guide for constructing self-efficacy scales. In F. Pajares & T. Urdan (Eds.), Self-efficacy beliefs of adolescents (pp. 307–337). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.
Barnett, C. K. (1994). Organizational learning and continuous quality improvement in an automotive manufacturing organization. Ph.D. dissertation, University Microfilms, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
Barnett, C. K., & Pratt, M. G. (2000). From threat-rigidity to flexibility-toward a learning model of autogenic crisis in organizations. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 13(1), 74–88.
Becker, B. E., & Gerhart, B. (1996). Human resources and organizational performance: Progress and prospects. Academy of Management Journal (Special Issue: Human Resources and Organizational Performance), 39(4), 779–801.
Bell, M. A. (2002). The five principles of organizational resilience. Gartner Research. [online] http://www.gartner.com/id=351410. Accessed March 18, 2015.
Brown, J., Mulhern, G., & Joseph, S. (2002). Incident-related stressors, locus of control, coping, and psychological distress among firefighters in Northern Ireland. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 15, 161–168.
Burns, T., & Stalker, G. M. (1961). The Management of innovation. London: Tavistock.
Burton, R. M., & Obel, B. (1988). Opportunism, incentives, and the M-form hypothesis: A laboratory study. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 10(1), 99–119.
Burton, R. M., & Obel, B. (2004). Strategic organizational diagnosis and design: The dynamics of fit (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Kluwer.
Burton, R. M., Lauridsen, J., & Obel, B. (2002). Return on assets loss from situational and contingency misfits. Management Science, 48(11), 1461–1485.
Campbell, F. C. (2008). Elements of metallurgy and engineering alloys. Materials Park, OH: ASM International.
Carroll, T. (2012). Designing organizations for exploration and exploitation. Journal of Organization Design, 1(2), 64–68.
Cascio, W. F. (2012). Methodological issues in international HR management research. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 23(12), 2532–2545.
Chandler, A. D., Jr. (1962). Strategy and structure. Cambridge: The MIT Press.
Cohen, R. S., & Wartofsky, M. W. (1980). Autopoiesis and cognition: The realization of the living. In H. R. Maturana & F. J. Varela, Autopoiesis (Vol. 42, pp. v–vi). The Netherlands: Reidel, Dortrecht.
Collins, J. & Porras, J. I. (1994). Built to last. Successful habits of visionary companies. Harper Collins Pub. Inc: New York, NY.
Coutu, D. L. (2002). How resilience works. Harvard Business Review, 80(5), 46–56.
Cox, T. (1987). Stress, coping and problem solving. Work & Stress, 1(1), 5–14.
Cunha, M. P., & Cunha, J. V. (2006). Towards a complexity theory of strategy. Management Decision, 44(7), 839–850.
Cunha, M. P., Cunha, J. V., & Kamoche, K. (1999). Organizational improvisation: What, when, how and why. International Journal of Management Reviews, 1, 299–341.
Donaldson, L., & Joffe, G. (2014). Fit-the key to organizational design. Journal of Organization Design, 3(3), 38–44.
Emery, F. E., & Trist, E. (1965). Causal texture of organizational environments. Human Relations, 18, 21–32.
Folke, C. (2006). Resilience: The emergence of a perspective for social–ecological systems analyses. Global Environmental Change, 16(3), 253–267.
Freeman, S. F., Hirschhorn, L., & Maltz, M. (2004). The power of moral purpose: Sandler O’Neill & Partners in the aftermath of september 11th, 2001. Organization Development Journal, 22(4), 69–81.
Gunz, H., & Mayrhofer, W. (2011). Re-conceptualizing career success: A contextual approach. Journal for Labour Market Research, 43(3), 251–260.
Håkonsson, D. D., Klaas, P., & Carroll, T. N. (2013). The structural properties of sustainable, continuous change: Achieving reliability through flexibility. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 49(2), 179–205.
Hall, D. J., & Saias, M. A. (1980). Strategy follows structure! Strategic Management Journal, 1(2), 149–163.
Hambrick, D. C., & Cannella, A. A., Jr. (2004). CEOs who have COOs: Contingency analysis of an unexplored structural form. Strategic Management Journal, 25(10), 959–979.
Hedberg, B. L. T. (1981). How organizations learn and unlearn. In P. C. Nystrom & W. H. Starbuck (Eds.), Handbook of Organizational Design (Vol. 1, pp. 3–27). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Hedberg, B. L. T., Nystrom, P. C., & Starbuck, W. H. (1976). Camping on seesaws: Prescriptions for a self-designing organization. Administrative Science Quarterly, 21, 41–65.
Helfat, C. E., & Samina, K. (2014). Fit between organization design and organizational routines. Journal of Organization Design, 3(2), 18–29.
Jex, S. M., Bliese, P. D., Buzzell, S., & Primeau, J. (2001). The impact of self-efficacy on stressor-strain relations: Coping style as an explanatory mechanism. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 401–409.
Kaplan, R. S., & Mikes, A. (2012). Managing risks: A new framework. Harvard Business Review, 90(6), 48–61.
Kendra, J. M., & Wachtendorf, T. (2003). Elements of resilience after the world trade center disaster: Reconstituting New York City’s emergency operations center. Disasters, 27(1), 37–53.
Lawrence, P., & Lorsch, J. (1967). Differentiation and integration in complex organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 12, 1–30.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress Appraisal and Coping. New York: Springer.
Lengnick-Hall, C. A., & Beck, T. E. (2003). Beyond bouncing back: The concept of organizational resilience. Paper presented at the National Academy of Management Meetings, Seattle, WA.
Lengnick-Hall, C. A., & Beck, T. E. (2005). Adaptive fit versus robust transformation: How organizations respond to environmental change. Journal of Management, 31(5), 738–757.
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.
Lepak, D. P., Marrone, J. A., & Takeuchi, R. (2004). The relativity of human HR systems: Conceptualising the impact of desired employee contributions and HR philosophy. International Journal of Technology Management, 27(6/7), 639–655.
Lewin, K. (1953). Studies in group decision. In D. Cartwright & A. Zander (Eds.), Group Dynamics. New York: Row, Peterson.
Mallak, L. A. (1998). Putting organizational resilience to work. Industrial Management, 40(6), 8–13.
Maturana, H. R. (1970). Biology of cognition. In H. R. Maturana & F. J. Varela (Eds.), Autopoiesis and cognition: The realization of the living (No. 42) (pp. 1–58). (1980). The Netherlands: Reidel, Dortrecht.
Maturana, H. R., & Varela, F. J. (1973). Autopoiesis: The organization of living. In H. R Maturana & F. J. Varela (Eds.). (1980). Autopoiesis and cognition: The realization of the living (No. 42) (pp. 59–143). The Netherlands: Reidel, Dortrecht.
Mayrhofer, W., Meyer, M., & Steyrer, J. (2007). Contextual issues in the study of careers. In H. P. Gunz & M. A. Peiperl (Eds.), Handbook of career studies (pp. 215–240). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Miles, R., & Snow, C. (1978). Organizational strategy, structure, and process. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.
Miles, R. E., Miles, G., & Snow, C. C. (2006). Collaborative entrepreneurship: A business model for continuous innovation. Organizational Dynamics, 35(1), 1–11.
Mintzberg, H. (1990). Strategy formation: Schools of thought. In J. F. Fredrickson (Ed.), Perspectives on strategic management. Philadelphia, PA: Harper Business.
Moos, R. H., & Schaefer, J. A. 1993. Coping resources and processes: Current concepts and measures. In L Goldberger & S Breznits (Eds), Handbook of Stress: Theoretical and Clinical Aspects (2nd ed.) (pp. 234–257). The Free Press: New York.
Padgett, J. F. (1992). The alchemist of contingency theory: Review essay on Stinchcombe. American Journal of Sociology, 97(5), 1462–1470.
Perrewé, P. L., et al. (2002). Are work stress relationships universal? A nine-region examination of role stressors, general self-efficacy, and burnout. Journal of International Management, 8(2), 163–187.
Poole, M. (1990). Editorial: Human resource management in an international perspective. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 1(1), 1–15.
Puranam, P. (2012). A future for the science of organization design. Journal of Organization Design, 1(1), 18–19.
Reinmoeller, P., & van Baardwijk, N. (2005). The link between diversity and resilience. MIT Sloan Management Review, 46(4), 61–65.
Schein, E. H. (1978). Career dynamics: Matching individual and organizational needs. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Schein, E. H. (1985). Organizational culture and leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Schoonhoven, C. B. (1981). Problems with contingency theory: Testing assumptions hidden within the language of contingency theory. Administrative Science Quarterly, 26, 349–377.
Schuler, R. S. (1992). Strategic human resources management: Linking the people with the strategic needs of the business. Organizational Dynamics, 21(1), 18–32.
Schulman, P. R. (1993). The negotiated order of organizational reliability. Admin Soc, 25, 353–372.
Scullion, H. (2005). International HRM: An introduction. In H. Scullion & M. Linehan (Eds.), International human resource management: A critical text (pp. 3–21). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Sheremata, W. (2000). Centrifugal and centripetal forces in radical new product development under time pressure. Academy of Management Review, 25, 389–408.
Shimizu, T., Mizoue, T., Kubota, S., Mishima, N., & Nagata, S. (2003). Relationship between burnout and communication skill training among Japanese hospital nurses: A pilot study. Journal of Occupational Health, 45(3), 185–190.
Staw, B. M., Sandelands, L. E., & Dutton, J. E. (1981). Threat rigidity effects in organizational behavior: A multi-level analysis. Administrative Science Quarterly, 26, 501–524.
Sutcliffe, K. M., & Vogus, T. J. (2003). Organizing for Resilience. In K. Cameron, J. E. Dutton, & R. E. Quinn (Eds.), Positive organizational scholarship: Chapter 7 (pp. 94–110). San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.
Välikangas, L., & Romme, A. G. L. (2013). How to design for strategic resilience. Journal of Organization Design, 2(2), 44–53.
Van Der Vegt, G. S., Essens, P., Wahlström, M., & George, G. (2015). Managing risk and resilience. Academy of Management Journal, 58(4), 971–980.
Vogus, T. J., & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2007, October). Organizational resilience: Towards a theory and a research agenda. In Systems, Man and Cybernetics, Montreal, Canada, 2007. ISIC. IEEE International Conference on (pp. 3418–3422).
Von Bertalanffy, L. (1950a). The theory of open systems in physics and biology. Science, 111(2872), 23–29.
Von Bertalanffy, L. (1950b). An outline of general system theory. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 1, 134–165.
Weick, K. E. (1993). The collapse of sensemaking in organizations: The Mann Gulch disaster. Administrative Science Quarterly, 38, 628–652.
Weick, K. E., & Sutcliffe, K. (2001). Managing the unexpected: Assuring high performance in an age of complexity. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
Weick, K. E., & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2007). Managing the unexpected: Resilient performance in an age of uncertainty. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
Weick, K. E., Sutcliffe, K. M., & Obstfeld, D. (2005). Organizing and the process of sensemaking. Organization Science, 16(4), 409–421.
Wildavsky, A. (1988). Searching for safety. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books.
Woods, D. D. (2006). Essential characteristics of resilience. In E. Hollnagel, D. D. Woods, & N. Leveson (Eds.), Resilience engineering: Concepts and precepts (pp. 21–34). Burlington, VT: Ashgate.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Giustiniano, L., Cantoni, F. (2018). Between Sponge and Titanium: Designing Micro and Macro Features for the Resilient Organization. In: Boccardelli, P., Annosi, M., Brunetta, F., Magnusson, M. (eds) Learning and Innovation in Hybrid Organizations. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62467-9_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62467-9_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62466-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-62467-9
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)