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From Disruption to Resilience: Adaptive Strategies in Big Science Organizations During a Global Pandemic

Kerk F. Kee et al.

Management Communication Quarterly2026https://doi.org/10.1177/08933189261439761article
AJG 2ABDC B
Weight
0.50

What the paper says

This qualitative study grounded in phronetic iterative analysis examines how big science organizations adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic while sustaining their scientific missions. Using the communication theory of resilience (CTR) as a guiding framework, infused with the literature on high-reliability organizations (HRO), the analysis draws from 56 semi-structured interviews across three phases (2020–2023) to identify 10 adaptive strategies linked to four of CTR’s five core processes. The fifth—affirming identity anchors—did not surface as an explicit strategy but operated implicitly, suggesting that when organizational identity aligns with crisis demands, explicit identity work may be unnecessary. Flexibility emerged as a central meta-process that shaped how strategies were implemented in context. Key strategies included adjusting work expectations, focusing on outcomes over time/place, and leveraging peer networks. This study contributes to CTR and HRO scholarship by emphasizing the contextual, communicative, and identity-sensitive nature of adaptive resilience during systemic disruption.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/08933189261439761

Or copy a formatted citation

@article{kerk2026,
  title        = {{From Disruption to Resilience: Adaptive Strategies in Big Science Organizations During a Global Pandemic}},
  author       = {Kerk F. Kee et al.},
  journal      = {Management Communication Quarterly},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/08933189261439761},
}

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From Disruption to Resilience: Adaptive Strategies in Big Science Organizations During a Global Pandemic

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.