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    Rights statement: The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Business and Society, 60 (1), 2019, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2018 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Business and Society page: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/bas on SAGE Journals Online: http://journals.sagepub.com/

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Cross-Scale Systemic Resilience: Implications for Organization Studies

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Cross-Scale Systemic Resilience: Implications for Organization Studies. / Williams, Amanda; Whiteman, Gail; Kennedy, Steve.
In: Business & Society, Vol. 60, No. 1, 01.01.2021, p. 95-124.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Harvard

Williams, A, Whiteman, G & Kennedy, S 2021, 'Cross-Scale Systemic Resilience: Implications for Organization Studies', Business & Society, vol. 60, no. 1, pp. 95-124. https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650319825870

APA

Vancouver

Williams A, Whiteman G, Kennedy S. Cross-Scale Systemic Resilience: Implications for Organization Studies. Business & Society. 2021 Jan 1;60(1):95-124. Epub 2019 Feb 7. doi: 10.1177/0007650319825870

Author

Williams, Amanda ; Whiteman, Gail ; Kennedy, Steve. / Cross-Scale Systemic Resilience : Implications for Organization Studies. In: Business & Society. 2021 ; Vol. 60, No. 1. pp. 95-124.

Bibtex

@article{e6c77efdde51417098b875f4855b56c4,
title = "Cross-Scale Systemic Resilience: Implications for Organization Studies",
abstract = "In this article, we posit that a cross-scale perspective is valuable for studies of organizational resilience. Existing research in our field primarily focuses on the resilience of organizations, that is, the factors that enhance or detract from an organization{\textquoteright}s viability in the face of threat. While this organization level focus makes important contributions to theory, organizational resilience is also intrinsically dependent upon the resilience of broader social-ecological systems in which the firm is embedded. Moreover, long-term organizational resilience cannot be well managed without an understanding of the feedback effects across nested systems. For instance, a narrow focus on optimizing organizational resilience from one firm{\textquoteright}s perspective may come at the expense of social-ecological functioning and ultimately undermine managers{\textquoteright} efforts at long-term organizational survival. We suggest that insights from natural science may help organizational scholars to examine cross-scale resilience and conceptualize organizational actions within and across temporal and spatial dynamics. We develop propositions taking a complex adaptive systems perspective to identify issues related to focal scale, slow variables and feedback, and diversity and redundancy. We illustrate our theoretical argument using an example of Unilever and palm oil production in Borneo.",
keywords = "adaptive cycle, cross-scale, natural science, resilience",
author = "Amanda Williams and Gail Whiteman and Steve Kennedy",
note = "The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Business and Society, 60 (1), 2019, {\textcopyright} SAGE Publications Ltd, 2018 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Business and Society page: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/bas on SAGE Journals Online: http://journals.sagepub.com/ ",
year = "2021",
month = jan,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1177/0007650319825870",
language = "English",
volume = "60",
pages = "95--124",
journal = "Business & Society",
issn = "0007-6503",
publisher = "Sage",
number = "1",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Cross-Scale Systemic Resilience

T2 - Implications for Organization Studies

AU - Williams, Amanda

AU - Whiteman, Gail

AU - Kennedy, Steve

N1 - The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Business and Society, 60 (1), 2019, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2018 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Business and Society page: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/bas on SAGE Journals Online: http://journals.sagepub.com/

PY - 2021/1/1

Y1 - 2021/1/1

N2 - In this article, we posit that a cross-scale perspective is valuable for studies of organizational resilience. Existing research in our field primarily focuses on the resilience of organizations, that is, the factors that enhance or detract from an organization’s viability in the face of threat. While this organization level focus makes important contributions to theory, organizational resilience is also intrinsically dependent upon the resilience of broader social-ecological systems in which the firm is embedded. Moreover, long-term organizational resilience cannot be well managed without an understanding of the feedback effects across nested systems. For instance, a narrow focus on optimizing organizational resilience from one firm’s perspective may come at the expense of social-ecological functioning and ultimately undermine managers’ efforts at long-term organizational survival. We suggest that insights from natural science may help organizational scholars to examine cross-scale resilience and conceptualize organizational actions within and across temporal and spatial dynamics. We develop propositions taking a complex adaptive systems perspective to identify issues related to focal scale, slow variables and feedback, and diversity and redundancy. We illustrate our theoretical argument using an example of Unilever and palm oil production in Borneo.

AB - In this article, we posit that a cross-scale perspective is valuable for studies of organizational resilience. Existing research in our field primarily focuses on the resilience of organizations, that is, the factors that enhance or detract from an organization’s viability in the face of threat. While this organization level focus makes important contributions to theory, organizational resilience is also intrinsically dependent upon the resilience of broader social-ecological systems in which the firm is embedded. Moreover, long-term organizational resilience cannot be well managed without an understanding of the feedback effects across nested systems. For instance, a narrow focus on optimizing organizational resilience from one firm’s perspective may come at the expense of social-ecological functioning and ultimately undermine managers’ efforts at long-term organizational survival. We suggest that insights from natural science may help organizational scholars to examine cross-scale resilience and conceptualize organizational actions within and across temporal and spatial dynamics. We develop propositions taking a complex adaptive systems perspective to identify issues related to focal scale, slow variables and feedback, and diversity and redundancy. We illustrate our theoretical argument using an example of Unilever and palm oil production in Borneo.

KW - adaptive cycle

KW - cross-scale

KW - natural science

KW - resilience

U2 - 10.1177/0007650319825870

DO - 10.1177/0007650319825870

M3 - Journal article

VL - 60

SP - 95

EP - 124

JO - Business & Society

JF - Business & Society

SN - 0007-6503

IS - 1

ER -