Exploring the potential of SMEs to build individual, organizational, and community resilience through sustainability‐oriented business practices

Small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) can have significant resources, capacities, and influence in their communities, suggesting they have the potential to be agents for transformative sustainability. However, SMEs will need to move beyond firm‐centered sustainable business practices towards st...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Business strategy and the environment 2023-01, Vol.32 (1), p.721-735
Main Authors: DiBella, Jose, Forrest, Nigel, Burch, Sarah, Rao‐Williams, Jennifer, Ninomiya, Scott Morton, Hermelingmeier, Verena, Chisholm, Kyra
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
business practices
Clusters
Community
COVID-19
organizational
Organizational aspects
Organizational structure
Pandemics
Private sector
Resilience
Small business
SMEs
strategy
Sustainability
Sustainable practices
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Summary:Small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) can have significant resources, capacities, and influence in their communities, suggesting they have the potential to be agents for transformative sustainability. However, SMEs will need to move beyond firm‐centered sustainable business practices towards strategic approaches that encompass and contribute to resilience‐building processes. Amid the unfolding COVID‐19 pandemic, we explored what types of sustainable business practices of SMEs can contribute to individual, organizational, and community resilience. We identified six clusters of practice that are important in this regard. The clusters are not solely technical or “environmental” but rather illustrative of deeper sustainable values shaped by organizational structure, culture, and behavior. This paper suggests that SMEs can pursue transformative approaches to sustainability that are more environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable and better able to withstand shocks like the COVID‐19 pandemic and can be significant contributors to community resilience. We conclude with a series of future research priorities critical to examine a largely unexplored nexus in the private sector, the linkages and dynamics between sustainability practice, resilience building, and broader community pathways.
ISSN:0964-4733
1099-0836
DOI:10.1002/bse.3171