Title: Paradoxical thinking and entrepreneurial resilience: a study against the backdrop of COVID-19 disruption

Authors: Bhabani Shankar Padhy; R. Kumar Bhaskar

Addresses: Department of Management and Commerce, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, 515134, India ' Department of Management and Commerce, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, 515134, India

Abstract: Entrepreneurial resilience' acquires seminal significance especially during a crisis situation. With COVID-19 pandemic rendering unprecedented disruption over the worldwide socio-economic landscape, entrepreneurs and business managers necessitate resilience for mitigating various emerging challenges. Modern enterprises often face competing demands and contradictory expectations from its diverse stakeholder groups. Entrepreneur's ability to relentlessly acclimatise and thrive particularly during adversities, while balancing competing needs is a crucial characteristic that bolsters organisational performance. This investigation examines the potential relation between stakeholder engagement, paradoxical thinking/paradox mind-set and entrepreneurial resilience. The entrepreneurs' propensity to integrate conflicting organisational and normative obligations is likely to improve her/his resilience. Contemporary organisations innately embody many contradictory tensions. Paradoxical thinking embraces these tensions and may also help the entrepreneurs to respond with enhanced resilience. This quantitative study involving social entrepreneurs in India against the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic indicates that stakeholder engagement is positively associated with resilience. This relation is mediated by the entrepreneur's paradoxical mind-set.

Keywords: stakeholder engagement; entrepreneurial resilience; paradoxical thinking; paradox mind-set; India.

DOI: 10.1504/IJICBM.2022.125218

International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, 2022 Vol.26 No.4, pp.538 - 556

Received: 11 Mar 2021
Accepted: 01 Jun 2021
Published online: 02 Sep 2022 *

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