The collective view of operations and supply chain resilience: shifting from protecting the firm to stabilizing wider social systems

Purpose This study explores collective resilience, where firms see the recovery of the wider social system as directly tied to their own recovery. Design/methodology/approach We conducted multiple case studies of nine firms, with two rounds of data collection, to investigate how collective resilience networks emerge from widespread crises to allow firms to respond to disruptions and adapt after recovery. Findings Our findings highlight that firms that were severely disrupted by a crisis adopted a collective view of resilience, making the recovery of the broader social system an integral part of the resilience process. Firms embedded in collective resilience networks also demonstrated an ability to transition from short-term recovery to long-term adaptation, aided by the social capital built during the initial disruption. Practical implications This research helps managers move beyond traditional, firm-centric recovery mechanisms to treat social systems as an integral component of resilience processes. Social implications Collective resilience considers the well-being of those in the broader social system in the resilience process. Originality/value The collective view reorients how resilience is seen in operations and supply chain management, moving it from protecting firms' operations toward stabilizing the broader social system on which firms depend. Collective resilience arises from firms developing a shared fate with the wider social system, which changes how they interpret crises and their role within the wider social system.