In Low to Moderate Income Communities
The resilience of established small businesses and their communities, especially in the face of economic uncertainty, has always been a key area of concern for Interise.
Our concern formed the basis of our white paper, Navigating Uncertainty and Growing Jobs, in which we drew from the experiences of job-creating small businesses during the Great Recession to identify five organizational capabilities that contribute to resilience. They are:
- the effective use of measurable indicators,
- the ability to correctly assess firm strengths and demonstrate market awareness,
- the ability to plan and implement effectively,
- creativity under pressure, and
- adaptability, referring to the capacity to dynamically revise the firm’s strategic positioning in response to market shifts.
Understanding resilience is more relevant than ever in this post-Recession economy. Many small businesses have recovered, which positions them to now ask strategic questions to scale their business: How long does it take to build the five organizational capabilities? Are these capabilities teachable? If so, how can they best be taught and learned?
These questions will lead our research initiatives and conversation with our network of community leaders, as we enter our second decade of serving established small businesses and their communities.