The Transfer and Diffusion of Information Technology for Organizational Resilience

In a turbulent world where companies are trying to realign their resources faster than the competition, resilience is defined as the capability to absorb strain and recover from untoward events through continuous reconstruction. Resilience implies a capacity to be robust under conditions of stress and change (Coutu 2002). It can be achieved by creating and maintaining cognitive, emotional, relational, or structural capabilities sufficiently convertible and malleable to cope with a dynamic environment. In the com petitive marketplace, many countries are making the transition from technolo- importing, efficiency-based development to innovation-based development. Organiza tions located in so-called "first world" economies are increasingly concerned with making local enterprises more resilient in their current geographical location and firms in "third world" economies are keen to establish and retain knowledge-based economic activities. The focus of this conference is on how IT innovation can contribute to making organizations more resilient. Commercial organizations are trying to make sense of the competitive environment and quickly generate new strategic options. Public organi zations are struggling to meet societal needs for innovative information services. IT staff have spent much of their energy improving transactional efficiency. IT now needs to be seen as a positive force for making business innovation resilient. Issues such as IT organizational design, social networking, diversity, improvisation, and rich media are likely to advance our understanding of resilience in this context, and account for an organization's need to sustain innovation.