Service organisations resilience through the application of the vanguard method of systems thinking: A case study approach

The construct of organisational resilience is embedded in a set of individual level attributes and organisational level processes; however, there seems to be scarcity in the current literature of resilient models of operation that can amalgamate these two interlinked levels. This paper is an attempt to empirically explore the relationship of applying the vanguard method of systems thinking in service organisations with enhancing organisational resilience. Two case studies were conducted in two service organisations in the UK. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews, observations, and archival documents, followed by the use of the nine-item Organisational Commitment Questionnaire. Cross-case analysis of the results shows that the employment of the vanguard method in service organisations operationalized two-dimensional determinants for improving organisational resilience; an organically structured organisation (i.e. organisational level), and highly affectively committed core employees (i.e. individual level).The value of this paper is the identification of two-level service organisations capabilities that can support organisational resilience and how these capabilities emerge as a result of employing the vanguard method. © 2013 Taylor & Francis.