Navigating Turbulence: A Review of Factors Influencing Crisis Management and Resilience in UAE Small and Medium Enterprises
Abstract
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) relies heavily on small and medium firms (SMEs) for economic diversification, however these firms are particularly susceptible to exogenous shocks. This narrative review is a summary of current research on the determinants of crisis management and organizational resilience in SMEs in the UAE. Through careful evaluation of research from prominent peer-reviewed journals, the review highlights five primary theme pillars of leadership agility, digital transformation preparedness, financial resource orchestration, human capital dynamics, and institutional support networks. Critical review reveals a substantial reliance on western theoretical paradigms which often do not represent the particular institutional, cultural and regulatory peculiarities of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) context. Methodological trends reveal the prevalence of cross-sectional surveys, stressing the urgent need for longitudinal and mixed-methods designs. To address these limitations, this research provides an integrated conceptual framework that associates internal capacities and external institutional moderators to predict the outcomes of crisis resilience. The theoretical contributions are the contextualization of dynamic capability and institutional theories in the GCC setting and the practical consequences are the practical tactics for SME founders, policymakers, and technology developers.
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