Do Informal Controls and Cooperation Trigger Resilience in Role Dependence in Startups?

ABSTRACT Objective: this article examines the influence of informal controls on resilience in role dependency, with the mediating intervention of cooperation and the moderating intervention of relational difficulties. Theoretical approach: organizational literature, in light of positive psychology, considers resilience to be a developed trait, which leads to the presumption that resilience related to role dependency can be triggered by informal controls, as they reflect values, norms, and expectations that support the development of organizational resilience capabilities. Method: structural equation modeling using partial least squares was applied to data collected through a survey with managers of Brazilian incubated startups. Results: the research findings reveal that informal controls do not directly influence resilience in role dependency, only through cooperation. Furthermore, informal controls have a direct influence on cooperation which, in turn, affects resilience in role dependency. However, relational difficulties did not present a moderating effect on the relationship between cooperation and resilience in role dependency. Conclusions: these results have implications in showing that resilience in role dependency is not directly influenced by informal controls, but rather through the mediation of cooperation. This highlights the importance of cooperation and the need to foster it in order to promote resilience in startups, due to their limited staff. Thus, it deepens the understanding of the potential influence of informal controls and cooperation on resilience in role dependency in disruptive contexts and resource-scarce environments, common among incubated startups.