The resilience of SMEs in Cameroon in times of crisis: a matter of agility or managerial improvisation?

Abstract

This article analyses organisational resilience as an organisational outcome, explained by two complementary managerial mechanisms: organisational agility and managerial tinkering. The study is based on a quantitative survey of 272 Cameroonian SMEs located in Yaoundé and Douala, operating mainly in the service sector. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, multiple correspondence analysis and logistic regression. The results show that organisational agility, through its dimensions of responsiveness, flexibility, differentiation and proximity, has a significant positive effect on the resilience of SMEs in times of crisis. Furthermore, organisational tinkering, based on the ingenious use and recombination of available resources, also contributes significantly to the development of resilience. These results highlight that, in environments characterised by scarce resources and strong institutional constraints, the resilience of SMEs relies less on formal capabilities than on adaptive and creative managerial practices. The article thus contributes to the strategic management literature by offering an integrated interpretation of resilience, rooted in dynamic capabilities, and by highlighting the joint role of agility and tinkering in African crisis contexts.

JEL Classification: M54 

Type of the paper: Empirical Research