Assessment of business resilience abilities: the case of industry and commerce of Santa Maria – RS

Soares, Matheus Pedroso Valau; Soliman, Marlon

doi:10.5902/1983465973551

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Revista de Administração da UFSM

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Original Article • Rev. Adm. UFSM 17 (1) • 2024 • https://doi.org/10.5902/1983465973551 copy

Assessment of business resilience abilities: the case of industry and commerce of Santa Maria – RS

Avaliação das habilidades de resiliência empresarial: o caso da indústria e comércio de Santa Maria - RS

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

ABSTRACT

Purpose:

This research aimed to evaluate the potential for resilient performance in the face of crises and adversities for companies located in the city of Santa Maria – RS (Brazil).

Design/methodology/approach:

We adopted a quantitative approach. The research was carried out through five sequential steps: (i) construction and validation of the research instrument; (ii) definition of the sample size and sampling procedures; (iii) data collection; (iv) data analysis and interpretation of results; and (v) elaboration of recommendations. A research instrument containing 44 questions was built and distributed among potential respondents, obtaining 87 valid answers, which corresponds to a statistically representative sample for the parameters adopted.

Findings:

Our sample was divided into two subsets, representing the Industrial and Commerce sectors. Resilience assessment accounted for four dimensions: the ability to respond, to anticipate, to monitor, and to learn. Results for both sectors showed scores ranging from 3.4 to 3.7 (out of 5) in the four dimensions evaluated. This reveals both sectors have been developing practices that positively contribute to the improvement of resilience, although there are opportunities for improvement.

Originality/value:

This research sheds light on the resilience ability of the cases surveyed, enabling managers to take action to strengthen their organizations and overcome crises and adversities. Additionally, our findings demonstrate how resilience abilities can be assessed, considering the scope of an economic sector and a geographical area. This approach can be adopted by researchers, policymakers, and development agencies to assess the resilience abilities of firms within their sphere of influence.

Keywords:
Organizational resilience; Industry; Commerce; Crisis; Adversities

Variable name	Statement used in the questionnaire
List of events	There is an appropriate list of events that the company is prepared to respond to (e.g. what to do if a delivery is delayed).
Event identification	There are clear criteria for identifying the events to which the organization must be prepared to respond.
Event list review	The list of events for which the company is prepared to respond is regularly reviewed based on pre-established guidelines.
Established criteria	There are clear criteria for triggering a response (e.g. a set value in a performance indicator).
Use of structured methods	Adequacy of event responses is determined using structured methods (e.g. models and statistics) rather than empiricism.
Ability to implement and remove responses	An effective response to adversities can be implemented quickly (e.g. temporary subcontracting of labor/services).
Response sustenance	Responses to adverse events can be sustained over a long period (e.g. an electrical generator with sufficient fuel until power is restored).
Adequate and available resources	There are adequate resources available to respond to adverse events (e.g. people, materials, experience, time).
Return to normal state	There is a clear criterion for returning to a ‘normal’ state after implementing a response to an adverse event (e.g. when an indicator returns to an acceptable performance, the response is demobilized).
Readiness to respond	Readiness to respond to adverse events is maintained and regularly verified (e.g. through auditing, testing, and simulations).

Variable name	Statement used in the questionnaire
List of management indicators	The list of management indicators used by the company is regularly reviewed based on pre-established criteria.
Composition of the list of indicators	The list of management indicators used is a mix of performance indicators (e.g. quality, productivity, efficiency) and market indicators (e.g. inflation, exchange rate, interest rates).
Market Indicators	Market indicators used are based on official sources, governmental agencies, or consulting reports.
Evaluation period	For performance indicators, the evaluation period represents a balance between precision (e.g. indicators evaluated every month) and responsiveness (e.g. indicators evaluated daily).
Indicators and metrics	An appropriate combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators is used, and the measurements are reliable.
Measurement time	Measurements take place on a regular time basis as set out in each indicator (e.g. hourly, once a day, once a week).
Analysis time	The time between measurement and analysis/interpretation and reporting of results is short (e.g. less than a week).
Management control	Measured effects (e.g. efficiency, quality, productivity, absenteeism) are kept under management control.
Supply of resources	Resources (e.g. time, personnel, equipment) are provided for performance measurements to be carried out.

Variable name	Statement used in the questionnaire
Expertise available	There is expertise available (internal or external) to predict future situations (e.g. changes in market conditions).
Threats and opportunities	Threats and opportunities are evaluated on a quarterly frequency or less.
Internal communication	Expectations about future events (e.g. forecasting delays) are well communicated and shared within the organization.
Vision of the future	There is a clear vision of how the future will be shaped (e.g. forecast of recession or market expansion)
Time horizon	Business processes have an adequate planning time horizon (e.g. corporate strategy in years; commercial in months, production in weeks.)
Risk acknowledgment	There is an explicit acknowledgment of acceptable and unacceptable risks that have the potential to impact business.
Nature of threats	The nature of future threats and opportunities (what they are and how they develop) is known (e.g. legal, tax, exchange rates, and other market threats/opportunities).
Risk awareness	Risk awareness is part of the organizational culture (e.g. decisions are made based on assessments of the risk involved).

Variable name	Statement used in the questionnaire
Event investigation	There is a clear guideline for deciding which adverse events will be investigated in depth (e.g. adverse events with an impact on safety and quality must be investigated in depth).
Learning ability	The organization tries to learn from both the common (successes and things that go right) and the rare (failures and things that go wrong).
Existence of training	There is formal training and organizational support for data collection, analysis, and learning.
Data categorization	The data collected by the organization are categorized (e.g. priorities, severity, frequency, potential harm).
Continuous learning	Learning is a continuous activity, regardless of the occurrence of adverse events.
Resource allocation	Adequate resources are allocated for the investigation/analysis of adverse events, and the learning outcomes are disseminated throughout the organization.
Identification time	The time between identifying an adverse event, analyzing it, and learning from it is short.
Learning level	Learning from adverse events occurs at three levels: individual, collective and organizational.
Implementation through instruments	Lessons learned from adverse events are fully implemented through formal instruments (e.g. regulations, procedures, standards, training, instructions, redesign, reorganization).
Knowledge preservation	There are ways to preserve knowledge of what has been learned.

Universidade Federal de Santa Maria Avenida Roraima nº 1000, Prédio 74C, Sala 4210 - Cidade Universitária - Centro de Ciências Sociais e Humanas (CCSH) - Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Cep: 97105-900, Tel: +55 (55) 3220-9242 - Santa Maria - RS - Brazil
E-mail: rea@ufsm.br

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[1] E-mail: mpvsoares1999@gmail.com