On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the then novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic. Businesses were already facing an accelerated rate of change pre-pandemic, aiming to gradually build and enhance organisational resilience. As a result, an excess of business resilience models already exists. Nonetheless, despite the attempt to build aforementioned models and adapt and respond to numerous disruptions, during the COVID-19 pandemic a high number of companies struggled.
This research project, by a University of Roehampton scholar, seeks to investigate the effect of the pandemic on businesses awareness of organisational resilience. The study was conducted through a series of 41 semi-structured interviews with risk management professionals and sheds light on the strategies used to build and enhance organisational resilience before and after COVID-19 became a global pandemic.
The study is highly relevant at a time businesses are faced with emerging, novel risks and disruptions, such as climate change and associated events. It aims to help management accountants to prepare for forthcoming threats, whether anticipated or unforeseen.