The determinants of Organizational Resilience: A Systematic Review
Keywords:
Organizational resilience, transformational leadership, digital transformation, adaptability, sustainabilityAbstract
Organizational resilience has become a defining capability for institutions seeking to navigate increasing uncertainty, technological disruption, and global crises. Beyond mere recovery, resilience encompasses the ability to adapt, transform, and sustain performance under adverse conditions. Despite widespread attention, the concept remains fragmented, with limited integration of behavioral, organizational, and contextual perspectives. This systematic review aims to synthesize current evidence on the determinants of organizational resilience, focusing on how leadership, employee adaptability, digital transformation, and knowledge management interact to strengthen resilience across industries and sectors. The paper also seeks to identify theoretical, methodological, and contextual gaps to guide future research and practice. The study followed the PRISMA 2020 framework to ensure systematic identification, screening, and inclusion of relevant literature published between 2020 and 2025. A total of thirty empirical and conceptual studies were reviewed. Data were thematically analyzed to extract behavioral, organizational, and contextual determinants and to compare key findings across different settings. Findings reveal that organizational resilience is shaped by the interplay of multiple factors. At the behavioral level, employee adaptability, self-efficacy, and psychological strength form the foundation of resilience. Organizationally, transformational leadership, continuous learning, and innovation readiness act as critical enablers. Contextual determinants such as digital transformation, technological capability, and collaborative networks further enhance adaptive capacity and long-term performance. Collectively, these factors contribute to organizations’ ability to absorb shocks, realign strategies, and sustain productivity. Organizational resilience is not a static attribute but a dynamic process built through the integration of human, structural, and contextual capacities. Institutions that foster adaptive leadership, empower employees, embrace technological change, and promote a culture of learning and collaboration are better positioned to thrive amid disruption. Strengthening these interlinked dimensions is essential for achieving long-term organizational sustainability and competitive advantage.
References
Akpinar, H., & Özer-Çaylan, D. (2023). Organizational resilience in maritime business: a systematic literature review. Management Research Review, 46(2), 245-267.
Al Ameri, K. A. M. A. (2023). Antecedents of Organizational Resilience after COVID-19: The Case of UAE. Sustainability, 15(7), 5841.
Ali, H. M., Ranse, J., Roiko, A., & Desha, C. (2022). Investigating organizational learning and adaptations for improved disaster response towards “Resilient Hospitals:” an integrative literature review. Prehospital and disaster medicine, 37(5), 665-673.
Bahyan, H., Ajmal, M. M., & Saber, H. (2025). Going resilient with digital transformation, human capabilities and innovation readiness: empirical evidence from the energy sector. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 32(5), 1522-1540.
Banu, R., Soundararajan, G., Al Wahaibi, M. A., & Salman, M. (2024). A study on critical internal drivers of organizational resilience: evidence from Oman SMEs. Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, 14(1), 44.
Cosentino, A., & Paoloni, P. (2021). Women’s skills and aptitudes as drivers of organizational resilience: An Italian case study. Administrative Sciences, 11(4), 129.
Cotta, D., & Salvador, F. (2020). Exploring the antecedents of organizational resilience practices–A transactive memory systems approach. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 40(9), 1531-1559.
Duchek, S., Raetze, S., & Scheuch, I. (2020). The role of diversity in organizational resilience: a theoretical framework. Business research, 13(2), 387-423.
E. Baloochi, M. (2020). Resilience does matter: a meta-analysis of trait resilience outcomes in the organizational setting. In Academy of Management Proceedings (Vol. 2020, No. 1, p. 17358). Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510: Academy of Management.
Good, S. C., Fisher, D. M., Toich, M. J., & Schutt, E. M. (2025). A meta-analysis of resilience in the workplace. International Journal of Stress Management.
Ingram, T., Wieczorek-Kosmala, M., & Hlaváček, K. (2023). Organizational resilience as a response to the energy crisis: Systematic literature review. Energies, 16(2), 702.
Ju, J. (2023). How open innovation drives intellectual capital to superior organizational resilience: evidence from China's ICT sector. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 24(6), 1464-1484.
Karakose, T., Kardas, A., Kanadlı, S., Tülübaş, T., & Yildirim, B. (2024). How collective efficacy mediates the association between principal instructional leadership and teacher self-efficacy: Findings from a meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) study. Behavioral Sciences, 14(2), 85.
Khin Khin Oo, N. C., & Rakthin, S. (2022). Integrative review of absorptive capacity’s role in fostering organizational resilience and research agenda. Sustainability, 14(19), 12570.
Liu, Y., Guo, M., Han, Z., Gavurova, B., Bresciani, S., & Wang, T. (2024). Effects of digital orientation on organizational resilience: a dynamic capabilities perspective. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 35(2), 268-290.
Miller, C. L. (2023). The Relationship Between Perceived Leadership Style and Oncology Social Worker Resilience (Doctoral dissertation, Grand Canyon University).
Muadzah, S., & Suryanto, S. (2024). Organizational Culture and Resilience: Systematic Literature Review. Jurnal Ilmiah Manajemen, Ekonomi, & Akuntansi (MEA), 8(2), 1426-1440.
Ntontis, E., Drury, J., Amlôt, R., Rubin, G. J., Williams, R., & Saavedra, P. (2021). Collective resilience in the disaster recovery period: Emergent social identity and observed social support are associated with collective efficacy, well‐being, and the provision of social support. British Journal of Social Psychology, 60(3), 1075-1095.
Onoshakpor, C., Etuknwa, A., & Karamalla-Gaiballa, N. (2020). STRATEGIC FLEXIBILITY AND ORGANIZATIONAL RESILIENCE OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS’IN AFRICA DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. Research Journal of Business and Management, 7(4), 277-287.
Oo, N. C. K. K., & Rakthin, S. (2022). Integrative Review of Absorptive Capacity’s Role in Fostering Organizational Resilience and Research Agenda. Sustainability, 14(19), 12570.
Ostadi, B., Ebrahimi-Sadrabadi, M., Sepehri, M. M., & Husseinzadeh Kashan, A. (2023). A systematic literature review of organization resilience, business continuity, and risk: towards process resilience and continuity. Interdisciplinary Journal of Management Studies (Formerly known as Iranian Journal of Management Studies), 16(1), 229-257.
Prayag, G., & Dassanayake, D. C. (2023). Tourism employee resilience, organizational resilience and financial performance: the role of creative self-efficacy. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 31(10), 2312-2336.
Shela, V., Ramayah, T., & Noor Hazlina, A. (2023). Human capital and organisational resilience in the context of manufacturing: a systematic literature review. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 24(2), 535-559.
Tamunomiebi, M. D., & Lawrence, D. (2020). Change management and organizational resilience. International Journal of Innovative Research and Advanced Studies, 7(2), 158-163.
Tanner, S., Prayag, G., & Kuntz, J. C. (2022). Psychological capital, social capital and organizational resilience: A Herringbone Model perspective. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 78, 103149.
Tasic, J., Amir, S., Tan, J., & Khader, M. (2020). A multilevel framework to enhance organizational resilience. Journal of Risk Research, 23(6), 713-738.
Weber, M. M. (2023). The relationship between resilience and sustainability in the organizational context—A systematic review. Sustainability, 15(22), 15970.
Yang, Z., Dong, M., Guo, H., & Peng, W. (2025). Empowering resilience through digital transformation intentions: synergizing knowledge sharing and transformational leadership amid COVID-19. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 38(1), 59-81.
Zadok, A., Benoliel, P., & Schechter, C. (2024). School middle leaders' transformational leadership and organizational resilience: The moderating role of academic emphasis. European Journal of Education, 59(3), e12657.
Zhu, H., Cureton, K., Brtis, J., Arnold, E. P., & Jackson, S. (2025, July). Relationship between Adaptability and Resilience. In INCOSE International Symposium (Vol. 35, No. 1, pp. 1860-1872).
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Reproducible Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright of the article belongs to Journal of Reproducible Research (JRR) once the paper is ACCEPTED for publication. Author(s) agrees to this terms, during submission.
