Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to investigate the role of resilience in surviving major disruptions, such as pandemic or war. This problem is especially vital for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as they often lack both resources needed for survival during prolonged economic hardship and knowledge management (KM) practices which are useful for developing the necessary business resilience. Methodology: The paper uses literature review approach to investigate the current knowledge on resilience and its dimensions as well as the links between KM, resilience and operational efficiency. Systems Thinking approach is proposed to be used to show the complexity of mechanisms behind those phenomena and the impact they have on business competitiveness in the SMEs sector. Findings: Because of their nature, SMEs were particularly severely hit by the COVID-19 crisis. SMEs now have to adjust to the new reality of the post-crisis phase by developing their business resilience. KM practices prove to offer high potential in resilience creation and resilience maintenance. Specific features of SMEs, if combined with operational agility and resilience, may allow them to successfully face challenges of their turbulent environment.. Research limitations: This paper is of a preliminary, conceptual nature. Its further development includes investigation of various aspects of KM relevant to strengthening business resilience in SMEs. More data is still needed to develop and test full Systems Thinking model based on the framework proposed here. Practical implications: SMEs owners and managers may benefit from this paper, as they may use it as a guidance in the process of developing business resilience in their organisations. The insights provided in this paper may be useful for decision makers and also for businesses offering knowledge-based services, offering them a deeper understanding of the presented phenomena and relations between them.. Originality/value: The paper is focused on SMEs, which are rarely investigated when it comes resilience creation and benefits it offers. The framework presented here provides important insights, which can be useful to numerous stakeholders.

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