Resilience and Growth of Small Enterprises in Post-Conflict Economy

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to contribute insights into the resilience and growth of small enterprises (SEs) by exploring the experiences of SE founders/owner-managers within a post�conflict context. The findings aim to inform the strategies to become resilient and to grow despite a turbulent environment. This builds on the existent small enterprise resilience and growth literature where it has been recognized that there are a various types of growth strategies for SE owner-managers to become resilient and grow. Yet, little empirical attention has been paid to understanding the resilience and growth of SE founders/owner-managers operating in turbulent post-conflict environments. This study explores the crises faced by SE founders/owner-managers, the effect on these crises on them and the way SE founders/owner-managers perceive their personal resilience to affect their organisational resilience and growth in Sri Lanka, a South Asian emerging economy, a nation of geopolitical importance despite its relatively small size, where, strategically positioned near key maritime sea lanes that transit the Indian Ocean and link Asia with Europe and Africa (the silk route). Although Ceylon gained its independence from Britain, Sri Lanka's political, social, and economic development was constrained by various crises. This never ending, crises attracting economy, was the context to this study. A qualitative approach was used to gather empirical data through in-depth semi-structured interviews with Small Enterprise owners and Informal Conversations with employees/managers at 15 SEs. A maximum variance sampling data technique, snowball sampling techniques and general analytical induction approach were used for data collection and analysis, respectively. The analysis of the data produced three main themes: Micro, Meso and Macro level Crises, Relationships and Networking and The Agentic Role of the Entrepreneur in developing resilience. The main output from the present research is a novel framework of Multi-level Analysis of Crises and SE owner-manager Resilience and growth in post-conflict context. The framework includes elements which can help SE owner-managers to become resilient and grow in a turbulent post-conflict economy. Findings demonstrate the importance of family and relatives, customers, employee, and business relationships in building resilience. Moreover, the Agentic role of the entrepreneur through new process and new soft innovation combined with becoming an achiever, planner and controller is revealed as a strategy to build resilience and grow.