ABSTRACT

CONNECTIONSOFEVENTSANDFREQUENTSHOCKS&OREXAMPLETHEIMPACTOFONEOFTHE MOSTSHOCKINGEVENTSOFTHERECENTPASTTHEATTACKSOF3EPTEMBERHAS BEENPROFOUND0URSUINGAVISIONANDGOALSUNDERSUCHCONDITIONSREQUIRESBROAD SKILLSONTHEPARTOFORGANIZATIONSANDTHEIRMEMBERSINCLUDINGIMAGINATIONAND HOLISTICTHINKINGASWELLASRATIONALPLANNING@.INE ELEVENSEEMSTOHAVESIGNALLED ABIGSHIFTINTHEATTENTIONOFBOTHEXECUTIVESANDORGANIZATIONRESEARCHERS $RIVEN LARGELY BY THE DYNAMIC NATURE OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY BUSINESSES

MANAGEMENTANDSTRATEGYSCHOLARSDURINGTHEPASTDECADEHAVEGIVENCONSIDERABLE ATTENTION TO THE RAPID PACE OF CHANGE AND RESPONSES TO IT SUCH AS FLEXIBLE ORGANIZATIONALSTRUCTURESAND@BOUNDARY LESSDESIGNSTHATBREAKDOWNINTERNAL SILOSFOSTERCROSS FUNCTIONALSOLUTIONSANDENABLEANORGANIZATIONTOKEEPUPOR SETTHEPACEOFCHANGEINITSINDUSTRY(OWEVERTHEFOCUSNOWSEEMSTOBESHIFTING TOANEWSETOFKEYDRIVERSOFCHANGEnSHOCKSURPRISECRISISDISCONTINUITYCHAOS nWHICHAREDIFlCULTIFNOTIMPOSSIBLETOANTICIPATE3CHOLARSHAVEBEGUNTO SEARCHFOREFFECTIVERESPONSESTHATORGANIZATIONSMIGHTMOBILIZETOSUCHTHREATSTO AVOID@COLLISIONSANDREMAINRESILIENT)NSHORTRESILIENCEALONGWITHAGILITYHAS BECOMEESSENTIALFORABSORBINGANDRESPONDINGTODISRUPTIVECHANGE

4HEPURPOSEOFTHISCHAPTER ISTOEXPLORETHESENEWKEYDRIVERS7ElRST SITUATEDISRUPTIVENESSINTERMSOF%MERYAND4RISTS CAUSALTEXTURESOFTHE ENVIRONMENTASDISCUSSEDIN#HAPTER7EDISTINGUISHAMONGTHREEKINDSOF DISRUPTIVENESSnOPERATIONALCOMPETITIVEANDCONTEXTUALnANDDEMONSTRATETHAT MANAGERSNEEDTOCOPEWITHEACHKINDINADIFFERENTWAY7EARGUETHATCONTEXTUAL DISRUPTIONISINCREASINGLYSALIENTFORMANAGERSTODAYANDSUGGESTTWOAVENUESFOR MANAGERSTOENHANCETHEIRCAPABILITIESINCOPINGWITHIT&IRSTTHEYNEEDTOSHIFT THEIRTHINKINGABOUTCHANGEFROMAN@EPISODICMODELTOA@CONTINUOUSMODELSEE ALSO#HAPTERINTHISVOLUME 3ECONDTHEYNEEDTOUSESCENARIOSTODEVELOPA ROBUSTFOUNDATIONFORIMPROVISINGEFFECTIVECOLLECTIVEACTION7ESUGGESTTHATDOING THESETWOTHINGSCANHELPMANAGERSTODEEPENTHEIRAPPRECIATIONOFCONTEXTUAL DISRUPTIONANDDEVELOPNEWCAPABILITIESTOCOPEWITHFUTURETURBULENCE 7ECITEDATAFROMANONLINEGLOBALSURVEYONCHANGEAGILITYANDRESILIENCE

THATWECONDUCTEDINONBEHALFOFTHE!MERICAN-ANAGEMENT!SSOCIATION !-! AND(UMAN2ESOURCE)NSTITUTE(2) !-!(2) 4HESURVEY YIELDEDUSABLERESPONSESFROMSENIORANDHUMANRESOURCEMANAGERS IN PRIVATE SECTORlRMSOUTOFTHEAPPROXIMATELYMEMBERSWORLDWIDEOF THESETWOASSOCIATIONS7EEXTRACTEDSUB SAMPLESOF@HIGHERPERFORMERSAND @LOWERPERFORMERSTOCONTRASTTHEIRVIEWSABOUTCHANGEANDREINFORCETHE IMPORTANCEOFBUILDINGADAPTIVECAPACITY

!SDISCUSSEDIN#HAPTERSTUDIESINTHElELDSOFSCENARIOSANDCAUSALTEXTURES DISTINGUISHBETWEENTHETRANSACTIONALANDCONTEXTUALENVIRONMENT-ANAGERS PLAY THEGAMEOFPRODUCINGGOODSANDSERVICES THROUGHDEALINGSWITHOTHER ORGANIZATIONSINTHEIRTRANSACTIONALENVIRONMENTS4HEYORGANIZETHESEDEALINGS THROUGHSTRATEGIESDESIGNEDTODELIVERSUCCESSINTHEINDUSTRYIES CHOSEN%ACH ORGANIZATIONCREATESANDMAINTAINSITSOWNTRANSACTIONALENVIRONMENTTHISISTHE ARENAOFITSOPERATIONALANDCOMPETITIVEPROCESSES/RGANIZATIONSALIGNTHEMSELVES WITHOTHERSINCERTAIN@VALUECONSTELLATIONS.ORMANNAND2AM¤REZP INWHICH@SUPPLIERSBUSINESSPARTNERSALLIESGOVERNMENTSANDOTHERECONOMIC ACTORSWORKTOGETHERTOCO PRODUCEVALUEWITHCUSTOMERS4HETRANSACTIONAL ENVIRONMENTSOFlRMS IN THE SAME INDUSTRYORVALUECONSTELLATIONROUTINELY OVERLAPTOSOMEEXTENT4HELARGERCONTEXTUALENVIRONMENTTHE@,RELATIONSHIPS DISCUSSEDIN#HAPTER ENCOMPASSESALLOVERLAPPINGTRANSACTIONALARENASANDIS THESOURCEOFFORCESTHATCREATEBROADERCHALLENGESSUCHASTECHNOLOGYADVANCES CHANGINGECONOMICCONDITIONSANDPOLITICALTRENDSANDSHIFTSINSOCIETALVALUES ANDATTITUDESEGABOUTTHENATURALENVIRONMENT )N%MERYAND4RISTS TERMSENVIRONMENTSCANBEDISTINGUISHEDIN

RELATIONTOTHEIRCOMPLEXITYANDDYNAMISMTHISGIVESTHEMTHEDISTINCTIVE@TEXTURES

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)FORGANIZATIONSAREFACEDWITHDISRUPTIONALLTHETIMETHENDISRUPTIONMAYBE CONSIDEREDROUTINEVARIOUSKINDSOFEVENTSISSUESPROCESSESANDIDEASCONTINUALLY THREATENTODISTURBTHENORMALFUNCTIONINGOFORGANIZATIONS9ETSOMEDISRUPTION ISFARFROMROUTINE3TRATEGYRESEARCHERSHAVEBEGUNTORECOGNIZETHESHOCKPOTENTIAL OFORGANIZATIONENVIRONMENTSASAKEYCONTINGENCYINADAPTATIONANDCAPABILITY BUILDINGSEE"OWERAND#HRISTENSEN3UTCLIFFEAND6OGUS3IRMON ETAL #LEARLYDISRUPTIONISABROADCONCEPTWORTHEXPLORING

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Three kinds of disruption

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