Cloud

Resilience in Business: A Bibliometric Analysis | Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management

November 7, 2024

Navigating the Turbulent Tides of Crisis: Uncovering the Pillars of Organizational Resilience

In an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world, the ability of organizations to withstand and adapt to disruptions has become paramount. The concept of organizational resilience has emerged as a crucial factor in determining an enterprise’s capacity to survive, thrive, and bounce back from crises.

This comprehensive bibliometric analysis, published in the Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, delves deep into the evolving landscape of resilience research, mapping the key trends, influential contributors, and critical knowledge gaps in this vital domain.

Charting the Currents of Crisis Resilience

The study’s systematic review of 469 articles from the Scopus database, spanning from 1993 to 2022, reveals several intriguing insights:

Shifting Tides of Publication Trends
The research landscape on crisis resilience and preparedness has undergone significant transformations over the years. The period from 2000 to 2015 witnessed a relatively slow development, with an average of less than two publications per year. However, the rapid growth phase from 2016 to 2021 saw a surge in new publications, indicating a heightened global interest in these topics. The analysis forecasts a continued increase in the number of publications on resilience and crisis preparedness starting from 2022 onwards.

Geographic Dispersal of Resilience Research
The United States leads the charge in crisis resilience and preparedness research, with 12 publications, followed by Canada and Australia, each with 8 publications. The United Kingdom, China, Hong Kong, Israel, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, and Singapore also make significant contributions, though at a lower scale compared to the top-ranking countries.

Interdisciplinary Fragmentation
The selected 55 publications span across 18 diverse journals, reflecting the vast fragmentation of expertise and scientific disciplines involved in crisis resilience and preparedness. This diversity underscores the need for a focused investigation to make sense of the extensive body of literature.

Thematic Clustering and Hotspots
The bibliometric analysis, utilizing VOSViewer, identified eight distinct clusters of research hotspots in the field of crisis resilience and preparedness. These clusters encompass themes such as interpersonal relationships, team resilience, project management, vulnerability, conceptual frameworks, preparedness, measurement, and entrepreneurship.

Charting the Course: Navigating the Pillars of Organizational Resilience

The bibliometric analysis unveiled several key determinants that shape the project manager’s crisis resilience capabilities:

Leadership: The importance of individual resilience, influence, team trust, and emotional intelligence in navigating crises.
Agility: The role of proactive, adaptive, and coping capacities in responding to disruptive events.
Interpersonal Skills: The significance of conflict management, persistence, and crisis preparedness in fostering resilience.
Risk Management and Vulnerability: The criticality of risk perception, awareness, and addressing organizational vulnerabilities.

Weathering the Storm: Charting a Resilient Future

This comprehensive bibliometric analysis offers several key implications for both academics and practitioners:

Theoretical Contributions
The study provides a structured overview of the fragmented organizational resilience literature, mapping the evolution of research themes and identifying critical knowledge gaps. This lays the foundation for future theory-driven inquiries to advance the conceptual understanding of resilience.

Practical Insights
The findings equip strategic managers and leaders with a deeper understanding of the essential resilience capabilities and competencies required to navigate turbulent times. This knowledge can inform the development of robust organizational strategies and crisis management frameworks.

Future Research Agenda
The study spotlights several underexplored areas, such as the impact of organizational resilience in developing economies, the interplay between risk management and resilience, and the need for more empirical research on supply chain resilience. Addressing these gaps can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of organizational resilience in diverse contexts.

As the world continues to grapple with unprecedented challenges, this in-depth bibliometric analysis serves as a valuable compass, guiding both researchers and practitioners in charting a resilient course for organizations to weather the storms of the VUCA landscape.

Resilience in the Face of Adversity: Uncovering the Drivers of Organizational Survival

The Shifting Tides of Crisis Resilience Research

The research landscape on crisis resilience and preparedness has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past three decades. The bibliometric analysis reveals three distinct phases in the evolution of this field:

Slow Development (2000-2015): During this initial period, the research on crisis resilience and preparedness was relatively limited, with an average of less than two publications per year.

Rapid Growth (2016-2021): The second phase witnessed a surge in new publications, indicating a heightened global interest in these topics. Researchers across various disciplines began to explore the critical role of resilience in navigating crises.

Stable Development (2021-2022): The third phase suggests that research on resilience and crisis preparedness has reached a more stable stage, with the analysis forecasting a continued increase in publications from 2022 onwards.

Mapping the Global Landscape of Resilience Research

The geographic distribution of crisis resilience and preparedness research showcases the United States as the leading contributor, with 12 publications. Canada and Australia follow closely, each with 8 publications. The United Kingdom, China, Hong Kong, Israel, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, and Singapore also make notable contributions, albeit at a lower scale compared to the top-ranking countries.

Interestingly, the bibliometric analysis revealed that African economies are largely underrepresented in this research domain, despite the region’s vulnerability to various crises. This observation highlights a critical gap that warrants further exploration.

Navigating the Fragmented Terrain of Crisis Resilience

The selected 55 publications on crisis resilience and preparedness were published across 18 diverse journals, reflecting the vast interdisciplinary nature of this field. This fragmentation underscores the need for a focused and integrative approach to make sense of the extensive body of literature.

The bibliometric analysis, utilizing VOSViewer, identified eight distinct clusters of research hotspots in the field of crisis resilience and preparedness:

Interpersonal Relationships: Examining the role of resilience in the context of interpersonal relationships, including conflict, work, physical safety, and economic hardship.
Team Resilience: Exploring the factors that contribute to the resilience of project teams, such as trust, creative problem-solving, and project management.
Project Management: Investigating the competencies, leadership, and strategies required for project managers to navigate crises and ensure project success.
Vulnerability: Analyzing the concept of vulnerability, including its relationship with risk, disaster resilience, and the factors that influence an organization’s susceptibility to disruptions.
Conceptual Frameworks: Developing theoretical models and frameworks to understand the multifaceted nature of crisis resilience, including concepts such as project resilience, agility, and crisis subjectivity.
Preparedness: Exploring the factors that contribute to organizational preparedness, including crisis experience, technical risk, and the perceived capacity to manage and make effective decisions during crises.
Measurement: Examining the psychological and emotional factors that impact resilience, such as stress, mental health, and depression.
Entrepreneurship: Investigating the role of organizational persistence, crisis preparedness, and entrepreneurial success in fostering resilience.

Navigating the Pillars of Organizational Resilience

The bibliometric analysis revealed several key determinants that shape the project manager’s crisis resilience capabilities:

Leadership: The importance of individual resilience, influence, team trust, and emotional intelligence in navigating crises.
Agility: The role of proactive, adaptive, and coping capacities in responding to disruptive events.
Interpersonal Skills: The significance of conflict management, persistence, and crisis preparedness in fostering resilience.
Risk Management and Vulnerability: The criticality of risk perception, awareness, and addressing organizational vulnerabilities.

These findings underscore the multifaceted nature of organizational resilience, highlighting the need for a comprehensive approach that combines strategic, behavioral, and operational elements.

Charting a Resilient Future: Implications and Future Research Directions