Building resilience capabilities at “Big Brown Box, Inc.”

Purpose – This paper aims to contend that to achieve the resilience needed to thrive long‐term in a dynamic, highly competitive marketplace companies need to commit to continual customer‐focused agility training. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses “Big Brown Box Inc.”, which is a disguised case about a real company's practices and experiences. Findings – The paper reveals that training for resilience involves mastering three strategic management practices: cultivating foresight, rehearsing non‐routine behaviors and building an experimentation‐oriented community. Practical implications – The takeaway from the Big Brown Box Inc. example is that all companies need to continually exercise their operational resilience to prepare for setbacks and the maneuvers of rivals. Originality/value – The paper reveals that the rehearsing and training exercises needed to develop resilience will help an organization learn how to proactively engage in exploration and experimentation.