Path Constitution: Building Organizational Resilience for Sustainable Performance

Abstract

Abstract Existing studies are not clear about the process of building organizational resilience that is crucial for the performance of firms. To tap into this still unexplored terrain, the aim of this qualitative study is to shed more light on how organizational resilience is built amid challenges from a perspective of path constitution. We present a single, longitudinal case study of the dynamic development of China Light & Textile Industry City Group, the leading textile trading platform operator in China. The results show that the process of organizations building resilience could be regarded as a process of organizational path constitution. Therefore, a theory model of the organizational resilience building was developed, which expanded the applicable scope of the path constitution theory. Further, this study deconstructed the mechanism of resilience building based on the interaction between opportunity space and organizational learning, which contributes to the organizational resilience literature and enriches the body of qualitative research in corporate management. Additionally, our findings provide practical implications for companies to maintain resilience and sustainable performance.