Contextualizing small business resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from small business owner-managers

Elias Hadjielias (), Michael Christofi () and Shlomo Tarba ()
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Elias Hadjielias: Cyprus University of Technology
Michael Christofi: Cyprus University of Technology
Shlomo Tarba: Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham

Small Business Economics, 2022, vol. 59, issue 4, No 3, 1380 pages

Abstract: Abstract In light of the unprecedented global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, resilient businesses are those more likely to make the transition to the post-COVID era. Our study draws on the concept of psychological resilience and focusses on individual owner-managers to the end of examining business resilience in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We conduct a longitudinal qualitative study, collecting data from 35 small business owner-managers between April and December 2020. Our findings—which provide insights into the micro-underpinnings of the resilience exhibited by small business in response to the COVID-19 pandemic—illustrate the responses and resilient qualities of owner-managers at both the personal and leadership levels, which facilitate resilient actions at the small business level. By drawing on a psychological perspective, our study provides a novel conceptualization of small business resilience at the person-role-organization nexus.

Keywords: Small business; Psychological resilience; Organizational resilience; Leadership resilience; Owner-manager; COVID-19 pandemic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L26 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (24)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11187-021-00588-0

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