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Strength in the face of adversity: individual and social thriving - Thriving: Broadening the Paradigm Beyond Illness to Health
Journal of Social Issues, Summer, 1998 by Virginia E. O'Leary
Weick (1993) continued to emphasize the importance of meaning when discussing the structure of resilient organizations. He suggested that meaning is lost during crises, as the sudden or unlikely change in events challenges one's understanding of reality. As a result, structure is lost as well. He described a downward spiral in which a loss of meaning creates a loss of structure, further challenging meaning, and then further damaging structure - a scenario typical of organizational response to crisis. Weick proposed that resilient organizations are able to create an inverse relationship between meaning and structure. That is, when meaning is lost, group members rely more heavily on structure. This reliance on structure (such as blindly obeying orders during combat) allows for a new construction of meaning, perhaps by providing the opportunity for respectful interaction. Conversely, when structure is lost, group members may focus on constructing new meaning, which may result in the development of new structure.
Weick's provocative conceptualization of organizational resiliency through his examination of the Mann Gulch fire disaster has provided several avenues for future research. Empirical validation of his model holds the promise of numerous practical applications. All businesses could benefit from learning to be resilient in the face of crises. Weick's model would be especially important for organizations that face life-and-death crises as part of their daily lives (e.g., airline crews, police forces).
In the early 1980s, Harley-Davidson was in danger of going under in large part because of the stiff competition provided by the rapid growth in Japanese-made motorcycles such as Yamaha, Honda, and Kawasaki. As a result, a group of senior Harley-Davidson executives signed an agreement to purchase the company back from American Machine and Foundry. The buyback was announced with the slogan, "The Eagle Soars Alone" (Beolfert, 1991, p, 252), and was accompanied by a firm resolve to build motorcycles in the best American tradition of quality and durability. An internal program, "I Make the Eagle Fly" (Bolfert, 1991, p. 254), was instituted in all areas of the company and in dealerships with a commitment to build, sell, and service the new products with a new level of quality.
Embarking on this course was in keeping with the pioneering spirit and founding of the company. This spirit proved to be essential to the survival of the new, privately held Harley-Davidson. In 1982, the demand for motorcycles in the Harley-Davidson niche dropped precipitously compared to 1981 figures. Harley-Davidson laid off employees to bring production inventories in line with demand, while Japan continued to export in record numbers. In September 1982, Harley-Davidson petitioned the International Trade Commission (ITC) for tariff relief from Japanese manufacturers, who were building up inventories of unsold motorcycles. According to Vaughn Beal, President of Harley-Davidson, the special tariffs were not aimed at preventing free-market competition, but restoring order in the face of increased production from Japan, coupled with a sharp decline in demand (Bolfert, 1991). During this period, the quality and performance of Harley-Davidson products improved markedly. This improvement did not go unnoticed. Sales increased, and in 1987, Harley-Davidson petitioned the ITC for the early termination of the 5-year tariffs on heavy motorcycles. No other company in the United States had ever asked for removal of import protection.
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