Strengthening Organisational Resilience Through Knowledge Management: The Santa Catarina´s Civil Defense Case

Abstract

The constant changes in the political, social, and economic scenarios, as well as recent major crises and natural disasters that have affected Santa Catarina, Brazil, and the world, have increased the demand for organisations to provide more resilient responses. Civil Defence organisations are no exception, and they must prioritise the identification and management of critical knowledge to enhance their organisational resilience. In light of this, a case study was carried out in Santa Catarina´s Civil Defence (SCCD), a public government organisation that plays a critical role in the territorial resilience of SC state. The study aimed to evaluate SCCD’s organisational resilience and develop a continuous improvement plan based on critical knowledge. To achieve this, the Resilience Analysis Grid (RAG) was used as a tool to characterise the SCCD’s resilience potential. The analysis showed that the organisation has an appropriate level of resilience potential. However, to identify ways to enhance this potential, it was necessary to analyse critical knowledge for monitoring, anticipating and responding to unexpected events, as well as exploring how SCCD promotes learning in the face of new situations. To do so, a framework was used to analyse critical knowledge to organisational resilience capabilities. This framework was used to present an improvement plan for the organisation's resilience potential, based on the use of techniques and methods for knowledge management. The plan recommended several practical steps that could be taken to enhance the resilience of the SCCD, including the creation of a knowledge management system, the development of training programmes, and the identification and management of critical knowledge. In conclusion, the study highlighted the importance of critical knowledge in enhancing organisational resilience and demonstrated that a continuous improvement plan based on critical knowledge could lead to significant improvements in the resilience of organisations like the SCCD. By following the study's recommendations, organisations can become better equipped to respond to future challenges and maintain their resilience in the face of change and uncertainty.