Beyond Survival: Capability Asymmetry and Organisational Resilience under Prolonged Economic Disruption in Myanmar

Abstract

Organisations exposed to prolonged, chronic disruption face a distinct challenge compared to those navigating discrete shocks. In environments characterised by persistent external constraints, organisations may continue operating while the underlying functional capabilities required for longer-term viability follow substantially different trajectories. When survival metrics are conflated with resilience, the systemic vulnerabilities embedded within operating firms may remain analytically invisible. This study examines how firms in Myanmar sustained operational viability across prolonged economic disruption between 2020 and 2026, and under what conditions continued operation appears consistent with organisational resilience rather than short-term or capability-constrained survival. Employing a structured longitudinal documentary analysis, the study uses repeated cross-sectional firm-monitoring evidence triangulated alongside macroeconomic and thematic contextual sources. The aggregate surveyed firm population maintained high physical operational continuity, while underlying productive capacity remained persistently constrained. Reported operational continuity was frequently accompanied by defensive tactical adaptations—such as captive generator use and local market retreats—that were associated with severe financial penalties and shifted external resource dependencies. Forward-looking indicators, including technological adoption and long-term capital investment, remained largely limited as firms allocated internal buffers toward immediate survival. The study extends organisational resilience theory by examining capability asymmetry to indicate how operational continuity and functional capability preservation can substantially decouple under prolonged disruption, using the analytical term "erosive survival" to describe this intermediate condition. For both management practice and theoretical assessment, the findings suggest that evaluating resilience requires explicitly distinguishing short-term operational continuity from the capability health required for future organisational viability.