Le management de transition comme levier de résilience organisationnelle en Tunisie : perspectives théoriques et empiriques

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1522/revueot.v35n2.2203

Keywords:

Interim management, organizational resilience, adaptative leadership, Tunisia, Dynamic capabilities

Abstract

In a Tunisian context marked by successive economic and political crises, this study examines how interim management is emerging as a strategic route to greater organizational resilience. Drawing on 17 interviews with interim managers and company executives, the research identifies the concrete mechanisms through which these professionals help organizations withstand shocks and transform themselves for the long term. Three contributions stand out: adaptive leadership attuned to Tunisian conditions; a direct strengthening of resilience capabilities, through both crisis absorption and faster transformation; and a strategic complementarity between emergency assignments and structural change mandates. The study gives practitioners an operational framework for making better use of interim management. To the authors’ knowledge the first in-depth qualitative study of the phenomenon in Tunisia, it proposes an integrative model of the conditions for lasting resilience in emerging economies.

References

Banque mondiale. (2022). Tunisie – Bulletin de conjoncture : gérer la crise en temps d’incertitudes. https://www.banquemondiale.org/fr/country/tunisia/publication/tunisia-economic-monitor-managing-the-crisis-in-times-of-uncertainty

Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99-120. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639101700108

Bass, B. M. et Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership (2e éd.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Becker, H. S. (1998). Tricks of the trade: How to think about your research while you’re doing it. University of Chicago Press.

Amira Bouteraa & Fatma Bouaziz, 2023. "Do talent management practices improve organizational resilience? An empirical study within Tunisian companies," African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 14(2), pages 271-288, April. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJEMS-07-2022-0301

Bhamra, R., Dani, S. et Burnard, K. (2011). Resilience: The concept, a literature review and future directions. International Journal of Production Research, 49(18), 5375-5393. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2011.563826

Rubin, Viktoria & Ohlsson, Jon. (2022). The interim manager – a catalyst for organizational learning?. The Learning Organization. 29. 377-391. https://doi.org/10.1108/TLO-11-2021-0133

Duchek, S. (2020). Organizational resilience: A capability-based conceptualization. Business Research, 13, 215-246. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40685-019-0085-7

Dulewicz, V. et Higgs, M. (2005). Assessing leadership styles and organisational context. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 20(2), 105-123. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940510579759

Eisenhardt, K. M. et Martin, J. A. (2000). Dynamic capabilities: What are they? Strategic Management Journal, 21(10-11), 1105-1121. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3094429

Saadouni, Saad & Habbani, Souad & Bourkane, Salma. (2025). Organizational resilience strategies in times of crisis: The experience of Maroc Telecom.. 2. 21-45. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17152848

Heifetz, R. et Linsky, M. (2002). Leadership on the line: Staying alive through the dangers of leading. Harvard Business School Press.

Heimann, S. (2019). Interim management: A strategic lever for organizational performance. Springer.

Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations (2e éd.). SAGE.

International Monetary Fund (IMF). (2023). Tunisia: Selected issues. IMF. Lien: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/unf_research/53/

Kanter, R. M. (2011). Change is everyone’s job: Managing the extended enterprise in a globally connected world. Organizational Dynamics, 28(1), 7-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0090-2616(00)80003-0

Kaufman, H. (2018). The rise of interim management: A strategic perspective. Routledge.

Khan, Mansoor & Ramakrishnan, Suresh. (2026). The Evolution of Organizational Resilience: A Systematic Literature Review. International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences. 16. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARAFMS/v16-i1/27549

Khanna, T. et Palepu, K. G. (2010). Winning in emerging markets: A road map for strategy and execution. Harvard Business Press.

Kvale, S. et Brinkmann, S. (2015). InterViews: Learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing (3e éd.). SAGE.

Lallement, R. (2015). Le management de transition : une réponse aux crises organisationnelles. Éditions EMS.

Gupta, Rajeev & Verma, Rajesh. (2024). Transformational Leadership in Strategic Management: Catalyzing Change and Innovation. Nanotechnology Perceptions. 1143-1154. https://doi.org/10.62441/nano-ntp.vi.3790

Lengnick-Hall, C. A. et Beck, T. E. (2005). Adaptive fit versus robust transformation: How organizations respond to environmental change. Journal of Management, 31(5), 738-757. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206305279367

Lincoln, Y. S. et Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. SAGE.

Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (4e éd.). SAGE.

Saunders, M., Lewis, P. et Thornhill, A. (2019). Research methods for business students (8e éd.). Pearson.

Strauss, A. et Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (2e éd.). SAGE.

Teece, D. J. (2007). Explicating dynamic capabilities: The nature and microfoundations of (sustainable) enterprise performance. Strategic Management Journal, 28(13), 1319-1350. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.640

Teece, D. J., Pisano, G. et Shuen, A. (1997). Dynamic capabilities and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 18(7), 509-533. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199708)18:7%3C509::AID-SMJ882%3E3.0.CO;2-Z

Weick, K. E. (1993). The collapse of sensemaking in organizations: The Mann Gulch disaster. Administrative Science Quarterly, 38(4), 628-652. https://doi.org/10.2307/2393339

Weick, K. E., Sutcliffe, K. M. et Obstfeld, D. (2005). Organizing and the process of sensemaking. Organization Science, 16(4), 409-421. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25145979

Westney, D. E. (1993). Cross-pacific internationalization of R&D by U.S. and Japanese firms. R&D Management, 23(2), 171-182. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9310.1993.tb00084.x

Wildavsky, A. (1988). Searching for safety. Transaction Publishers.

Williams, T. A., Gruber, D. A., Sutcliffe, K. M., Shepherd, D. A. et Zhao, E. Y. (2017). Organizational response to adversity: Fusing crisis management and resilience research streams. Academy of Management Annals, 11(2), 733-769. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.5465/annals.2015.0134

Fisher, Jo-Anne & Newman, Alexander & Sendjaya, Sen. (2024). Interim leadership: A systematic literature review and future research agenda. Journal of Vocational Behavior. 150. 103974. https:/doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2024.103974

Xin, K. K. et Pearce, J. L. (1996). Guanxi: Connections as substitutes for formal institutional support. Academy of Management Journal, 39(6), 1641-1658. https://doi.org/10.2307/257072

Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6e éd.). SAGE.

Zaheer, S., Schomaker, M. S. et Nachum, L. (2012). Distance without direction: Restoring credibility to a much-loved construct. Journal of International Business Studies, 43, 18-27. https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2011.43

Published

2026-09-23

How to Cite

Away, T., & Boudabbous, S. (2026). Le management de transition comme levier de résilience organisationnelle en Tunisie : perspectives théoriques et empiriques. Revue Organisations & Territoires, 35(2), 145–168. https://doi.org/10.1522/revueot.v35n2.2203

Issue

Section

Espace libre