IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i11p9118-d1164306.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Navigating Turbulent Environments: Exploring Resilience in SMEs through Complex Adaptive Systems Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Balkiz Yapicioglu

    (Faculty of Design, Department of Architecture, Arkin University of Creative Arts and Design, Kyrenia 99300, Cyprus)

Abstract

This study seeks to explore how owner–managers of small and medium-sized enterprises navigate a constantly changing and turbulent environment following a traumatic experience and how they build resilience in their organizations by drawing upon memories through a complex adaptive system lens. Specifically, this study investigates the major factors shaping the management strategies of SMEs operating in the infrastructure construction sector in North Cyprus, where foreign aid/the patron country is the primary source of financing and therefore the major driver of strategies. To gather primary data, semistructured interviews were conducted with owner–managers of grade 1 construction SMEs, who can participate in internationally financed public projects. A qualitative approach using thematic analysis was adopted, and findings indicate that the most influential factor shaping the management strategies of SMEs in North Cyprus is the macro characteristics of the sociopolitical environment. These characteristics evoke memories for owner–managers and lead to a dissipative approach towards managing their SMEs, creating resilience in the face of North Cyprus’ ever-changing political environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Balkiz Yapicioglu, 2023. "Navigating Turbulent Environments: Exploring Resilience in SMEs through Complex Adaptive Systems Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-25, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:11:p:9118-:d:1164306
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/11/9118/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/11/9118/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mamouni Limnios, Elena Alexandra & Mazzarol, Tim & Ghadouani, Anas & Schilizzi, Steven G.M., 2014. "The Resilience Architecture Framework: Four organizational archetypes," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 104-116.
    2. Jakob Svensson, 2000. "Foreign aid and rent-seeking," Springer Books, in: Roger D. Congleton & Kai A. Konrad & Arye L. Hillman (ed.), 40 Years of Research on Rent Seeking 2, pages 165-189, Springer.
    3. Robert Macintosh & Donald Maclean, 1999. "Conditioned emergence: a dissipative structures approach to transformation," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(4), pages 297-316, April.
    4. George Ofori, 2007. "Construction in Developing Countries," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(1), pages 1-6.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Teng Ma & Huiling Wang & Ying Qu, 2024. "Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Organizational Resilience in Construction Firms—A Study from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-15, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Andrew Boutton, 2019. "Of terrorism and revenue: Why foreign aid exacerbates terrorism in personalist regimes," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 36(4), pages 359-384, July.
    2. repec:elg:eechap:15325_21 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Samuel Brazys & Krishna Chaitanya Vadlamannati, 2021. "Aid curse with Chinese characteristics? Chinese development flows and economic reforms," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 188(3), pages 407-430, September.
    4. Askarov, Zohid & Doucouliagos, Hristos, 2015. "Spatial aid spillovers during transition," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 40(PA), pages 79-95.
    5. James Lake & Maia Linask, 2015. "Costly distribution and the non-equivalence of tariffs and quotas," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 165(3), pages 211-238, December.
    6. Monica Beuran & Gaël Raballand & Julio Revilla, 2011. "Improving Aid Effectiveness in Aid-Dependent Countries: Lessons from Zambia," Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 11040, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne.
    7. Balázs Szent-Iványi, 2015. "Are Democratising Countries Rewarded with Higher Levels of Foreign Aid?," Acta Oeconomica, Akadémiai Kiadó, Hungary, vol. 65(4), pages 593-615, December.
    8. Uchenna Efobi & Simplice Asongu & Ibukun Beecroft, 2018. "Aid, Terrorism, and Foreign Direct Investment: Empirical Insight Conditioned on Corruption Control," International Economic Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(4), pages 610-630, October.
    9. Thierry Kangoye, 2008. "Instability from trade and democracy: the long-run effect of aid," Post-Print hal-00331902, HAL.
    10. Asteris Huliaras & Sotiris Petropoulos, 2016. "European Money in Greece: In Search of the Real Impact of EU Structural Funds," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(6), pages 1332-1349, November.
    11. Beck, Thorsten & Poelhekke, Steven, 2023. "Follow the money: Does the financial sector intermediate natural resource windfalls?," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    12. MacLean, Donald, 2017. "Capacidades dinâmicas, ação criativa e poética," RAE - Revista de Administração de Empresas, FGV-EAESP Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (Brazil), vol. 57(3), May.
    13. Sèna Kimm Gnangnon, 2020. "Trade Openness and Diversification of External Financial Flows for Development: An Empirical Analysis," South Asian Journal of Macroeconomics and Public Finance, , vol. 9(1), pages 22-57, June.
    14. Martín-Rojas, Rodrigo & Garrido-Moreno, Aurora & García-Morales, Víctor J., 2023. "Social media use, corporate entrepreneurship and organizational resilience: A recipe for SMEs success in a post-Covid scenario," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    15. Boris Petkov, 2018. "Natural Resource Abundance: Is it a Blessing or is it a Curse," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 43(3), pages 25-56, September.
    16. Simplice Asongu, 2014. "The Questionable Economics of Development Assistance in Africa: Hot-Fresh Evidence, 1996–2010," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 41(4), pages 455-480, December.
    17. Kimura, Hidemi & Todo, Yasuyuki, 2010. "Is Foreign Aid a Vanguard of Foreign Direct Investment? A Gravity-Equation Approach," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 482-497, April.
    18. Pablo Selaya & Rainer Thiele, 2010. "Aid and Sectoral Growth: Evidence from Panel Data," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(10), pages 1749-1766.
    19. Hodler, Roland, 2006. "The curse of natural resources in fractionalized countries," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(6), pages 1367-1386, August.
    20. Kilby, Christopher, 2005. "World Bank lending and regulation," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 384-407, December.
    21. Aurore Gary & Mathilde Maurel, 2015. "Donors’ Policy Consistency and Economic Growth," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(4), pages 511-551, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:11:p:9118-:d:1164306. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.