In this research work, a study is carried out on the relationship between business resilience (divided into robustness, agility, and integration) and longevity, as well as the role of redundancy in this phenomenon, all applied to the Spanish food industry. The results obtained show that resilience is not a homogeneous capability among the companies considered but is based on a transition from agility to robustness, which indicates the need for organizations to consider this conditioning factor in their strategic actions.
TopIntroduction
Within the field of business organization, there are a multitude of phenomena that are of interest for its study. Essentially, this branch of knowledge arose from the need to determine the success factors of companies. Proof of this is that, in the first business schools, teaching sessions were based on the study of success stories. However, this discipline has evolved in various aspects. For example, the approach has been widely diversified, leading to the analysis of the influence that a multitude of external factors exert on entrepreneurial behavior, such as agglomeration (De Silva & McComb, 2012; Marco-Lajara et al., 2016; 2022; Sánchez-García, 2021), the existence of a specialized environment (Martínez-Falcó et al., 2023), technological development (García Pérez-de-Lema et al., 2019; Ji-fan Ren et al., 2017), or the cultural characteristics of different regions (Hofstede, 1984; 2001), among others. Specific theoretical frameworks have also been developed to describe entrepreneurial behavior, some of the main exponents being the agency theory (Alchian & Demsetz, 1972; Jensen & Meckling, 1976), the stewardship theory (Davis et al., 1997; Donaldson & Davis, 1989; 1991), organizational ecology (Hannan & Freeman, 1977; 1984) or the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm (Barney, 1991; Penrose, 1959). From the latter, various ramifications have emerged, one of the most widely recognized being that known as dynamic capabilities theory, whose origin is to be found in the work of Teece et al. (1990; 1997) and Pisano & Teece (1994). It is precisely the latter that has been repeatedly exploited, given the explanatory power of dynamic capabilities as an intangible and strategic element for obtaining competitive advantages. However, these competitive advantages are often focused on business performance, positioning this magnitude as the ultimate business objective.
Despite the above, it is true that, currently, the existence of an environment known as VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) has generated additional needs, one of the main bastions being business survival. There are a multitude of works that seek to study the influence of various variables on this phenomenon, among which the aforementioned agglomeration (De Silva & McComb, 2012), innovation (Cefis & Marsili, 2005; Talay et al., 2014; Velu, 2015), organizational size (Dimara et al., 2008; Fackler et al., 2013; Fontana & Nesta, 2009; Fotopoulos & Louri, 2000; Kaniovski & Peneder, 2008; Talay et al., 2014; Ugur & Vivarelli, 2021) and firm age (Audretsch, 1991; Banbury & Mitchell, 1995; Cefis & Marsili, 2006; Dimara et al., 2008; Esteve-Pérez et al., 2004; Esteve-Pérez & Mañez-Castillejo, 2008; Fontana & Nesta, 2009; Mitchell et al., 1997). An interesting issue is that, as these latter papers indicate that greater longevity (time course) implies higher odds of survival. However, longevity itself is usually presented as just another variable, characterized as a continuous and homogeneous element. Despite this, there is a possibility that, like survival, longevity is not an immovable dimension, but that its attainment depends on various elements depending on the phase in which it is found.