Question 1

On the basis of the information provided below answer ALL the questions that follow. Exploring the nexus of diversity, organisational resilience and strategy Organisations today operate in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, disruptive, complex, ambiguous and turbulent (VUDCAT) world in which unexpected events are omnipresent. To survive in VUDCAT environments and to foster future success, organisations must be able to handle all of these manifestations of the unexpected. Firms need to develop a resilience capacity which enables them to adequately react to unexpected events and to capitalize on events that could potentially threaten an organisations survival (Lengnick-Hall et al. 2011). In this function, resilience differs from related constructs such as flexibility, agility or robustness.

The necessity to develop resilience capabilities to cope effectively with unexpected events, manage disruptions in operations, maintain high performance, while executing increasingly transient business strategies constitutes a strategic function. In the words of McGrath (2013:62), firms need to constantly start new strategic initiatives, building and exploiting many transient competitive advantages at once. Though individually temporary, these advantages, as a portfolio, can keep companies in the lead over the long run.

Although academic interest in organisational resilience has steadily grown in recent years, there is little consensus about the determinants of resilience. There are preliminary indications, from recent studies, that diversity could play an important role in the development of resilience in organisations (Duchek, Raetze & Scheuch, 2020 Bui et al., 2019). Recently, Bui et al. (2019) studied resilient organisation through a meta-analysis of the effect of communication on team diversity and team performance. Similarly, Krishnan, Gowrishankar and Kanagaraj (2017) examined the relationship between age diversity of the workforce and employees performance, and found that the age diversity of the workforce has a significant contribution to predict the employees performance. Further, they reported that age diversity of the workforce and employee performance differs across gender, age group, work experience and position of the employees. Although there are numerous studies on both resilience (Duchek, 2014 Duchek, 2020 Hillmann and Guenther, 2020) and diversity (Dobbin & Kalev, 2016 ), the connection between the two constructs remains largely unexplored.

Organisational resilience Since the beginning of the 21st century, research on organisational resilience has developed tremendously (a Google Scholar search showed 98 results for 1985 2000 and close to 4000 results for 2001 2020). However, there is no consistent understanding of the construct. Organisational resilience comprises numerous and divergent themes. It can be seen as an umbrella construct a broad concept or idea used loosely to encompass and account for a set of diverse phenomena (Hirsch & Levin, 1999:200). Researchers often use a range of labels for the concepts, including organisational resilience, resilience capacity, resilience capability, resilience potential, and resilient organisation. According to Duchek (2020:216), three main perspectives on organizational resilience can be distinguished. The first group of scholars understands resilience as an organisations ability to resist adverse situations and/or the ability to recover after disturbances and return to a normal state (e.g., Horne 1997 Horne and Orr 1998 Robert 2010).

A second group of scholars looks beyond the maintenance and restoration of organizational functionality and focuses on the advancement of organizational processes and capabilities (e.g., Robb 2000 Lengnick-Hall and Beck 2005 Lengnick- Hall et al. 2011). These researchers indicate the need to make adjustments to any changes to come out of the crisis stronger than before. For example, Lengnick-Hall et al. (2011) define organizational resilience as a firms ability to effectively absorb, develop situation-specific responses to, and ultimately engage in transformative activities to capitalize on disruptive surprises that potentially threaten organization survival (p. 244). According to this perspective, organizational resilience can be understood as active and purposeful coping with unexpected events. Resilient organizations possess a set of capabilities that enables them to adapt, integrate, and reconfigure internal and external resources and competences to match the requirements of changing conditions [which Teece et al. (1997) call dynamic capabilities].

A few scholars go one step further and incorporate the notion of anticipation into their descriptions of organizational resilience (e.g., Rerup 2001 McManus et al. 2008 Somers 2009). Wildavsky (1991) defines anticipation as the prediction and prevention of potential dangers before damage is done (p. 77) and contrasts the term with resilience, which he defines as the capacity to cope with unanticipated dangers after they have become manifest, learning to bounce back. Consequently, Wildavsky understands resilience as a feasible alternative to crisis prevention. Recently, Somers (2009:13) has argued that resilience is more than mere survival it involves identifying potential risks and taking proactive steps to ensure that an organization thrives in the face of adversity.

In summary, whereas many studies describe resilience as defensive response (resistance and/or recovery), there is currently a perspective shift occurring. Newer studies expand their perspectives and tend to describe resilience as rather offensive response (adaptation) or even include the notion of anticipation. These different perspectives are all part of resilience and they can lead to growth in the face of crisis only in combination. Following this assumption and combining the active response perspective with the anticipation perspective into a meta-capability, Duchek (2020:220), defined organisational resilience as an organisations ability to anticipate potential threats, to cope effectively with adverse events, and to adapt to changing conditions. This ability is critical for organisational success (Horne 1997 Coutu 2002). Depending on its specific configuration, resilience can be a source of sustainable competitive advantage (Hamel and Vaelikangas 2003 Sheffi 2007) and, thus, explain why some firms are more successful than others. Workforce diversity Workforce diversity refers to organisational heterogeneity with respect to the mix of people in terms of gender, age, race, and education background (Robbins, 2009). Frequently, diversity is viewed in a limited fashion, primarily addressing issues of race or gender differences, and linked to the laws providing protected status to certain groups. Viewed broadly, diversity encompasses most characteristics that individuals possess that affect the way they think and do things. Diversity can be defined as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, and valuing differences among people with respect to age, class, race, ethnicity, gender, disabilities, etc. (Esty et al. 1995). Companies need to embrace diversity and look for ways to become inclusive organisations because diversity has the potential to yield greater work productivity and competitive advantages (SHRM 1995). Managing diversity is a key component of effective people management in the workplace (Black Enterprise, 2001).

Demographic changes (women in the workplace, organizational restructuring, and equal opportunity legislation) will require organizations to review their management practices and develop new and creative approaches to managing people. Positive changes will increase work performance and customer service. Linking existing research on elements of organisational resilience and the outcomes of diversity in organisations could be consequential for the performance of organisations in the long run. Firstly, by understanding the role that diversity plays in the development of organisational resilience, managers can proactively build a culture of resilience for their organisations. Secondly, resilience-enhancing diversity management has the potential to confer sustained competitive advantage on organisations.

motivation for the proposed study As a business researcher with a keen interest in diversity, organisational resilience and strategy, you are convinced that unpacking the relationships at the nexus of workforce diversity, organisational resilience and strategy could be instrumental for the development of sustainable competitive advantage. You believe that the challenge of boosting management diversity among South African business organisations and the need to enhance the resilience of both private and public sector organisations in South Africa require further investigation.

In this regard, you are proposing a study with the aim of investigating into the impact of top management team (TMT) diversity on the resilience of JSE-listed companies.

After a detailed review of the upper echelon theory and the organisational resilience literature, you have come to the realisation that adopting an objective ontological stance and a positivist foundationalist epistemic orientation for the proposed study constitutes a sound basis for the proposed study.

REQUIRED: Please answer the following questions about the proposed study described above: Propose a title for the inquiry and, on the basis of the 5W framework, assess the appropriateness of the title you have proposed.

1.1 Propose a title for the inquiry and, on the basis of the 5W framework, assess the appropriateness of the title you have proposed.

1.2 State the aim and significance of the proposed study.

1.3 Formulate THREE (3) research objectives and THREE (3) research questions for the proposed study (Please note: One of the research objectives should be to make practical recommendations to the top management teams (TMTs) of JSE-listed companies).

1.4 Motivate an appropriate research design for the proposed study

1.5 Based on the design you have chosen in 1.4, discuss the methodology you would follow with regard to:

1.5.1 Sampling Methodology

1.5.1.1 Identify the target population for the proposed study.

1.5.1.2 State whether you would use a probability or non-probability sampling strategy.

1.5.1.3 Specify a sample size for the proposed study.

1.5.1.4 Select a method of sampling for the proposed study and explain why the selected method is appropriate for the proposed study.

1.5.3 Method of Data Analysis:

1.5.3.1 Briefly discuss the method of data analysis that would be used in the proposed study (please note: you are required to specify the methods of analysis that would be used to answer the TWO analyzable research questions formulated in 1.3, above).