A dark side of organizational resilience: Venezuelan migrant workers and multinational delivery platform companies in Colombia during the pandemic

Diaz Avendaño J.; Hermans M. · Multinational Business Review (2025) · DOI: 10.1108/mbr-12-2024-0281

Resumen

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to identify a “dark side” of organizational resilience, whereby individual workers perceive their organization’s adaptive measures to be unfair, unsupportive or inconsiderate of the risks and burden involved. This study examines how Venezuelan migrant delivery workers in Colombia perceived and responded to multinational platform companies’ resilience strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how these responses influenced their organizational identification over time. Design/methodology/approach – This study used a longitudinal phenomenological approach to analyze the lived work experiences of 19 Venezuelan migrants in Colombia who performed delivery services for multinational platform companies. Over seven months, the authors conducted 62 semi-structured interviews, complemented by participant observation and an analysis of platform companies’ communications. A systematic two-cycle coding process was applied using NVivo. Findings – This study identifies three core themes – perception of work, social relationships and organizational attachment – that illustrate workers’ evolving responses to companies’ adaptive measures. Initially, workers embraced these measures, but financial strain, algorithmic control and minimal organizational support led to disillusionment and detachment. Workers turned to peer networks to foster collective resilience, but they ultimately disengaged. Originality/value – This study contributes to research on organizational resilience by revealing a potentially adverse impact on individual workers. The longitudinal research design unveils the iterative and multi-level nature of organizational resilience and its consequences.

Instituciones: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú