The Science of Organisational Resilience: Decoding Its Intellectual Structure to Understand Foundations and Future

This study aims to decode the intellectual structure of organisational resilience (OR) and provide a comprehensive overview of its conceptual development, key intellectual shifts and emerging research directions. We apply bibliometric co-citation analysis using CiteSpace on the scientific production on OR indexed in the Web of Science—Social Sciences Citation Index. The analysis identifies clusters, turning points and citation bursts, enabling the mapping of the field’s main themes and intellectual foundations. The findings reveal eight major clusters of OR research, with distinctive yet interconnected areas: crisis management, disaster management, conceptualisation, supply chain management, influencing factors, strategy and planning, evaluation and community resilience. Key turning points and burst papers highlight the evolution of the field from conceptual foundations to strategic approaches shaped by global crises. The study advances theory by demonstrating how OR research is structured across clusters and by identifying conceptual gaps that require integration, which are addressed through a proposed research agenda. For scholars, it provides a roadmap to navigate the most influential works and theories, while for practitioners and policymakers, it highlights actionable directions to strengthen resilience in organisations facing volatile and uncertain environments.