Leadership and Organizational Resilience in a Catastrophic Scenario: An Empirical Study
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Abstract
In this paper, the researcher addresses the role of leaders in the development of organizational disaster resilience. Catastrophic events affect millions of people worldwide, and disasters will continue to occur. The research is oriented to answer the following question: How can business leaders develop resilience in their organizations after extreme events, specifically in the face of earthquakes? The phenomenon is studied from the perspective of the Mexican experience after the September 19, 2017 earthquake in Mexico City. The study contrasts existing resilience definitions and conceptual frameworks with empirical research to support the development of organizational disaster resilience by business leaders. This participatory study was conducted with 12 business leaders to document the lessons learned and understand the resilience development mechanisms that supported their organizations during their recovery from the earthquake. The findings reflect resilience conceptualization as a nonlinear process that allows leaders’ interventions to develop actions in the anticipation, response and adaptation stages. Additionally, the response required interorganizational coordination to accelerate the adaptation and recovery of affected organizations by extreme events, as in the case of the earthqua ke.
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