Building Digital Resilience Against Major Shocks

Major shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic create unique and exceptional challenges for different entities, including individuals, groups, and organizations. In this special issue editorial, we introduce the concept of digital resilience, which refers to the capabilities developed through the use of digital technologies to absorb major shocks, adapt to disruptions caused by the shocks, and transform to a new stable state, where entities are more prepared to deal with major shocks. The individual papers in this special issue offer compelling examples of how digital resilience is exhibited and how the process of digital resilience can unfold in response to specific major shocks. Drawing upon and extending these papers, we present an integrated framework of how digital technology can help build resilience capabilities, which is missing in past research but needed to mitigate and manage future major shocks, including financial recessions and climate change. We conclude with four important themes for future IS research.