Leadership and Organizational Resilience in a Catastrophic Scenario: An Empirical Study

In this paper, the researcher addresses the role of leaders in the development of organizationaldisaster resilience. Catastrophic events affect millions of people worldwide, and disasters will continue to occur. The research is oriented to answer the following question: How can businessleaders develop resilience in their organizations after extreme events, specifically in the face of earthquakes? The phenomenon is studied from the perspective of the Mexican experience after the September 19,2017 earthquake in Mexico City. The study contrasts existing resilience definitionsand conceptual frameworks with empirical research to support the development of organizationaldisaster resilience by business leaders. This participatory study was conducted with 12 businessleaders to document the lessons learned and understand the resilience development mechanisms that supported their organizations during their recovery from the earthquake. The findingsreflect resilience conceptualization as a nonlinear process that allows leaders’ interventions to develop actions in the anticipation, response and adaptation stages. Additionally, the responserequired interorganizational coordination to accelerate the adaptation and recovery of affectedorganizations by extreme events, as in the case of the earthquake.