STRATEGIC FLEXIBILITY AND ORGANIZATIONAL RESILIENCE OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS’ IN AFRICA DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Year 2020, , 277 - 287, 31.12.2020

Chioma Onoshakpor Abasiama Etuknwa Nagmeldin Karamalla-gaiballa

https://doi.org/10.17261/Pressacademia.2020.1324

Abstract

Purpose- The focus of this paper was on role of strategic flexibility in the actualization of organizational resilience of women entrepreneurs’ in Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methodology- In this study, the content bothered primarily on the experiences of women entrepreneurs within Africa – their constraints, challenges and set-backs as well as their opportunities and resilience in this COVID-19 crisis period. Scenarios were drawn from three key nations in Africa – (a) South-Africa, (b) Sudan, and (c) Nigeria. These three offered detailed evidence of the contextual factors and values that shape women entrepreneurs’ actions and tendencies within their various societies and communities.
Findings- Supportive evidence also showed that the strengthening of networks, relationships with stakeholders and the emphasis on information technology advanced the organizations options and provided women entrepreneurs with various advantages in terms of information access, funding, support (social and financial) and knowledge sharing.
Conclusion- On the basis of this observation, it was affirmed that strategic flexibility is essential for the actualization of organizational resilience. Its change driven value for learning and relationships are imperative for the survival and success of women entrepreneurs in Africa.

Keywords

Strategic flexibility, women entrepreneurs, organizational resilience, Africa, COVID-19

References

• Adegboye, O. A., Adekunle, A. I., & Gayawan, E. (2020). Early Transmission Dynamics of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Nigeria. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(9), 3054.
• Afawa, 2020. Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa, ImpactHER and UN Women Policy Brief exposes disadvantages to women entrepreneurs in post COVID-19 era, offers solutions. https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/affirmative-finance-action-women-africa-impacther-and-un-women-policy-brief-exposes-disadvantages-women-entrepreneurs-post-covid-19-era-offers-solutions-36891
• Agboli, M. & Ukaegbu, C. C. (2006). Business environment and entrepreneurial activity in Nigeria: Implications for industrial development. Journal of Modern African Studies. 44(1), 1-30
• Ahiauzu, L.U.& . Jaja, S.A. (2015). Process innovation and organizational resilience in public universities in South-South, Nigeria. International Journal of Managerial Studies and Research. Volume 3, Issue 11, pp. 102-111.
• Akanni, L.O., and S. C. Gabriel. 2020. The Implication of Covid19 on the Nigerian Economy. Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA). http://cseaafrica.org/theimplication-of-covid19-on-the-nigerian-economy/.
• Alhaj, A. (2011). An ode to the Center for Developing Businesswomen and its leadership. Sudanow-Magazine, http://sudanow-magazine.net/pageArch.php?archYear=2011&archMonth=2&Id=122
• Alozie CE, Ideh AO & Ifelunini I (2020). Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, economic consequences and strategies for ameliorating macroeconomic shocks in Nigeria’s economy.
• Asikhia, O. (2010). Market-focused strategic flexibility among Nigerian banks, African. Journal of Marketing Management, 2(2), 018-028.
• Balhara, S. & Singh, A. 2015. Women entrepreneurship: A big motivation. Business and economic research, 5(2): 207-216,
• Baumol WJ (2014) Stimulating growth amid recession: entrepreneurship, innovation, and the keynesian revolution. J Jpolmod 36: 629-635.
• Baumol, W. J. (1990). Entrepreneurship: Productive, unproductive and destructive. Journal of Political Economy, 98, 893–921
• Blair, C. 2015. Rwanda's gender gap: Banks must stop failing female entrepreneurs. https://www.theguardian.com/.../rwanda-gender-gap-banks-failing-female-entreprene
• Bullough, A. & Renko, M., 2013. Entrepreneurial Resilience during Challenging Times. Business Horizons, 56(3), pp. 343-350.
• Burnard, K. & Bhamra, R. (2011). Organisational resilience: development of a conceptual framework for organisational responses. International Journal of Production Research 49 (18), 15, 5581–5599.
• Care (2020b). COVID-19 Could Condemn Women To Decades of Poverty: Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women’s and Girls’ Economic Justice and Rights. [online] Available at: https://insights.careinternational.org.uk/media/k2/attachments/CARE_- _Implications_of_COVID-19_on_WEE_300420.pdf
• Cesaroni, F. M., Sentuti, A. & Buratti, A., 2015. Same crisis, different strategies? Italian men and women entre- preneurs in front of the economic recession. Journal of Research in Gender Studies, 5(2), pp. 205-331
• Cingoz, A., & Akodgan, A. A. (2013). Strategic Flexibility, Environmental Dynamism, and Innovation Performance: An Empirical Study, 9th International Strategic Management Conference, Available Online At www.sciencedirect.com
• Dartey-Baah, K. (2015). Resilient leadership: A transformational-transactional leadership mix. Journal of Global Responsibility, 6(1), 99-112.
• Deborah, A.E., Wilhelmina, S., Oyelana, A.A. & Ibrahim, S.I. 2015. Challenges faced by women entrepreneurs and strategies adopted by women entrepreneurs to ensure small business success in Nkonkobe Municipality. Journal of Economics, 6(1): 37-49, Fall.
• Deshpande, R., Kibe, J. and Kaaria, L. (2020). COVID-19 Exposes Risks and Opportunities in Kenya’s Gig Economy. [online] www.cgap.org. Available at: https://www.cgap.org/blog/covid-19-exposes-risks-and-opportunities-kenyas-gig-economy [Accessed 8 Jun. 2020].
• Dobbin, F. & Dowd, T. J. 1997. How Policy Shapes Competition: Early Railroad Foundings in Massachusetts. Administrative Science Quarterly, 42: 501-529.
• Doroudi, H., Babaei, L. (2016), A Study on the Relationship Between Strategic Planning Processes, Planning Flexibility, and Firm Performance: Considering the Mediating role of Innovation. Qom: International Conference on Economy, Management, and Psychology
• Duchek, S., 2019. Organizational resilience: a capability-based conceptualization. Business Research, Volume 13, pp. 215-246
• Eketu, C.A (2015). Talent Management and Sustainable Enterprise Resilience among Travel Agencies in Port Harcourt. International Journal of Business and Management, Volume III, Issue VIII.
• Empower Women (2020). Empower Women - Learning Webinar: Business, Non-discrimination and Gender Equality in the Time of COVID19. [online] EmpowerWomen. Available at: https://www.empowerwomen.org/en/community/stories/2020/05/learning-webinarbusiness-nondiscrimination-and-gender-equality-in-the-time-of-covid19 [Accessed 8 Jun. 2020].
• Fiksel, J., Polyviou, M., Croxton, K. L. & Prettit, T. J., 2015. From risk to resilience: Learning to deal with disruption.. MIT Sloan Management Review, Volume 56, pp. 77-86
• Gajjar, G. A. 2015. Influence of women enterprise fund training program on the growth of women owned businesses in Mombasa Country, Kenya. Unpublished Masters thesis, University of Nairobi. Nairobi
• Galindoa M, Mendez MT (2014) Entrepreneurship, economic growth, and innovation: are feedback eوٴects at work? J Jbusres 67: 825-289.
• GEM, 2017. Women’s Entrepreneurship 2016/2017 Report, Global Entrepreneurship Monitor.
• Grandy, G., Cukier, W. & Gagnon, S., 2020. (In)visibility in the margins: COVID-19, women entrepreneurs and the need for inclusive recovery. Gender in Management; An International Journal.
• Gupta, Y. (2020). How Social Media Is Fueling Women’s Entrepreneurship in Myanmar. [online] Available at: https://www.cgap.org/blog/how-social-media-fueling-womens-entrepreneurshipmyanmar?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=
• Heltberg, R., Hossain, N., Reva, A. & Turk, C., 2013. Coping and Resilience during the Food, Fuel, and Financial Crises. The Journal of Development Studies, 49(5), pp. 705-718.
• Hock, M., Claub, T. (2016), Knowledge Management, Strategic Flexibility and Business Model Innovation. The Proceedings of the XXVII ISPIM Conference 2016 Porto, Portugal. p19-22.
• Holmes, R., Peterman, A., Sammon, E., Cabot, V.C. and Alfers, L. (2020). Gender and Inclusion in social protection responses during COVID-19. [online] Available at: https://socialprotection.org/sites/default/files/publications_files/SPACE%20Gender%20and%20Inclusion_20052020v1.pdf
• Ibrahimpour-Azbari, M., Nopasand-Asil, S.M., Saravani, M. (2015), Examining the effect of strategic flexibility on the firms market performance: The mediating role of mark innovation. Industrial Technology Development, 13(26), 5-6.
• IFC (2020b). Uncertainty, Fear, and Coronavirus: The New Reality for Africa’s Entrepreneurs. [online] www.ifc.org. Available at: https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/news_ext_content/ifc_external_corporate_site/news+and+events/news/impact-stories/smesafrica-covid19?cid=IFC_TT_IFC_EN_EXT.
• Investing In Women (2020a). Innovation, reinvention and inclusion: Businesses responding to COVID-19. [online] Investing in Women. Available at: https://investinginwomen.asia/posts/innovation-reinvention-inclusion-businesses-responding-covid-19
• Jacob, O. N., Abigeal, I., & Lydia, A. E. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 on the Higher Institutions Development in Nigeria. Electronic Research Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2, 126- 135.
• Kamasak, R., Yavuz, M., Karagulle, A.O., Agca, T. (2016), Importance of strategic flexibility on the knowledge and innovation relationship: An emerging market study. Journal of Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 229, 126-132
• Kamasaka, R., Yavuzb, M., Karagullec, A. O., & Agcad, T. (2016). Importance of Strategic Flexibility on the Knowledge and Innovation Relationship: An Emerging Market Study, 5th International Conference on Leadership, Technology, Innovation and Business Management, Available Online At www.sciencedirect.com
• Liliane, U. K. & Peter, M. 2015. The impact of women economic empowerment projects on the socio-economic development in Rwanda: The case of Agaseke project. European Journal of Business and Social Sciences, 4(06): 59-87, September 09.
• Linnenluecke, M. K. (2015). Resilience in business and management research: A review of influential publications and a research agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews, 19(1), 4-30.
• Madichie, N. O. 2015. Heaven Kigali: Narratives & Realities of an “Ethnic Minority” Woman Business Owner. Kigali: Institute for small Business and entrepreneurship.
• Malhan, A. & Ishita, M. 2015. Difficulties and challenges face by women entrepreneur in Gurgaon. International Journal of Management and Commerce Innovation, 2(2): 637-640, October.
• Manerkar, G. 2015. Women entrepreneurs in Goa: Issues and challenges. Indian Streams Research Journal, 4(12):1-8
• Manolova, T., Brush, C. G., Edelman, L. F. & Elam, A., 2020. Pivoting to stay the course: How women entrepreneurs take advantage of opportunities created by the COVID-19 pandemic. International Small Business Journal: Researching Entrepreneurship, 38(6), pp. 481-491
• Masa’deh, Ra’ed (2016). The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Enhancing Organizational Effectiveness: The Case of Information Technology Managers in Jordan Int. J. Communications, Network and System Sciences, 9, 234-249.
• Matsoso, M.L. & Iwu, C.G. 2016. Women and small scale entrepreneurship. In introduction to gender studies in Eastern and Southern Africa. Sense Publishers:197-213.
• MIWE Report. (2019). Newsroom.mastercard.com. Retrieved 17 November 2018, from https://newsroom.mastercard.com/eu/files/2018/03/MIWE-2018- Report.compressed.pdf
• National Bureau of Statistic (NBS), 2017. Micro, Small, And Medium Enterprises (MSME) National Survey 2017 Report .
• Nieman, G. & Nieuwenhuizen, C. 2014. Entrepreneurship: A South African Perspective. 3rd ed. Pretoria: Van Schaik.
• Nwagbara, U. (2012). Leading A Postmodern African Organisation: Towards A Model of Prospective Commitment. The Journal of Pan African Studies, 4(9), 67-84
• Nxopo, Z. & Iwu, C.G. 2015. The unique obstacles of female entrepreneurship in the tourism industry in Western Cape. Unisa Press, 13(2): 55-72
• OECD (2018), OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics 2018: Concepts, Standards, Definitions and Classifications, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264304444-en.
• Ohia, C., Bakarey, A. S., & Ahmad, T. (2020). COVID-19 and Nigeria: Putting the realities in context. International Journal of Infectious Diseases.
• Olaniyi M., Iloani F., and Usman S.U, 2020. Nigeria: Coronavirus - 39.4 Million Nigerians May Be Jobless in 6 Months – Govt. https://allafrica.com/stories/202006120546.html
• Ozili, P.K. (2020). COVID-19 in Africa: socio-economic impact, policy response and opportunities. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy.
• Ozili, P.K. and Arun, T.G. (2020). Spillover of COVID-19: impact on the Global Economy. Working paper.
• Pasteur, K. (2011). From Vulnerability to Resilience, a framework for analysis and action to build community resilience. Practical Action Publishing
• Pitamber, S. (1999). Women traders in Omdurman, Sudan: Entrepreneurs or mere managers. Sudan Notes and Records, 3, 131
• Said, I.,&Enslin, C. (2020). Lived experiences of females with entrepreneurship in Sudan: Networking, social expectations, and family support.https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020963131.
• Shokouhi, A., Ghafari, A. (2015), Effect of Organizational Learning and Strategic Flexibility on Innovation. 1st International Conference on Management, Economy, Accounting, and Educational Science, Ayandesaz-the Research and Consulting Co
• Supeno, H., Sudharma, M., Aisjah, S., & Laksmana, A. (2015). The Effects of Intellectual Capital, Strategic Flexibility, and Corporate Culture on Company Performance: A Study on Small and Micro-Scaled Enterprises (Smes) In Gerbangkertosusila Region, East Java. International Business and Management, 11(1), 1-12
• Thornton, P. H. (1999). The sociology of entrepreneurship. Annual Review of Sociology, 25, 19–46.
• UN Women (2020a). Cultivating change: Women farmers in Dominica find new paths to market amidst COVID-19 shutdowns. [online] UN Women. Available at: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/6/feature-women-farmers-find-paths-to-market-amidst-covid19 [Accessed 8 Jun. 2020].
• Välikangas, L., Georges, L., & Romme, A. (2012). Building resilience capabilities at Big Brown Box, Inc. Strategy & Leadership, 40(4), 43-45.
• We-Fi Secretariat (2020a). Digital finance is providing solutions to WSMEs in times of COVID crisis | Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative. [online] Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative. Available at: https://we-fi.org/digital-finance-is-providing-solutions-towsmes-in-times-of-covid-crisis/ [Accessed 8 Jun. 2020].
• Wei, Z., Yi, Y., Guo, H.H. (2014), Organizational learning, ambidexterity, strategic flexibility, and new product development. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 31(4), 832-847.
• Welsh, D.H.B., Memili, E., Kaziak, E., & Ahmed, S. (2013). Sudanese women entrepreneurs. Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship, 18(2).
• Wright, C., Kiparoglou, V., Williams, M., & Hilton, J. (2012). A framework for resilience thinking. Procedia Computer Science, 8, 45-52