Toward a Theory of Organizational Resilience: Integrating Dynamic Capabilities and Stakeholder Perspectives

Abstract

Organizational resilience has emerged as a critical capability for firms operating in increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environments. Despite substantial scholarly attention, existing resilience research remains fragmented, with studies often emphasizing either internal organizational capabilities or external stakeholder relationships. This paper addresses this gap by developing an integrated theoretical framework that combines Dynamic Capabilities Theory and Stakeholder Theory to explain how organizations build and sustain resilience over time. Drawing on the dynamic capabilities perspective, the framework highlights the roles of sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring capabilities in enabling firms to identify environmental changes, mobilize resources, and adapt to disruptions. Simultaneously, Stakeholder Theory contributes an external relational perspective by emphasizing the importance of stakeholder engagement, trust, collaboration, and support in facilitating organizational adaptation and recovery. The proposed framework suggests that organizational resilience emerges from the interaction between internal adaptive capabilities and external stakeholder relationships. Furthermore, the paper advances a series of theoretical propositions linking dynamic capabilities, stakeholder relationships, organizational resilience, and long-term organizational performance. By integrating two influential theoretical perspectives, this study contributes to the resilience literature by offering a more comprehensive explanation of how organizations withstand, adapt to, and thrive amid disruptions. The framework provides a foundation for future empirical research and offers practical insights for managers seeking to enhance organizational resilience in turbulent environments.