Organisational competencies: The Essence of Emerging Resilience

Abstract

This paper investigates organisational resilience as an emergent property arising from the interactions of specific organisational competencies. Drawing on the principles of emergence and the Resource-Based View (RBV) theory, the study aims to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by identifying the competencies that contribute to resilience; and defining how these competencies should interact for an organisation to be considered resilient. The paper outlines the process for consolidating an organisational resilience framework based on the ISO 22316 and BS 65000 international standards, as well as on the resilience cycle defined by the Fraunhofer institute. The methodology employed in this study includes a review of the relevant literature on organisational resilience, systems thinking, and the RBV theory. Additionally, the paper provides an analysis of the relationships between the three pillars of the framework, as well as the identification and merging of activities and abilities from both the ISO 22316 and BS 65000 standards. The study then identifies the organisational competencies required to acquire the abilities and execute the activities present in the organisational resilience framework. It also classifies the identified competencies into a competence atlas based on Erpenbeck’s competence atlas but adapted to organisational competencies. The methodology applied in this work supports SMEs by defining a process for: identifying organisational competencies; and, defining their interactions to achieve desirable properties at the organisational level, while offering significant insights for the strategic planning process of organisations. Furthermore, it aims to raise awareness on the importance of carefully analysing the interactions among organisational assets in complex operational scenarios. Finally, the findings obtained, provide organisations with a set of organisational competencies, classified into a competence atlas, which enables them to become resilient in accordance with a resilience framework based on internationally recognized standards.