A framework for business continuity management in a multiactor context

Abstract Business continuity management (BCM) is an analytic process capable of fostering the resilience of critical societal functions. While previous research on BCM primarily has focused on its applications within individual organizations, today's modern society involves networks of interdependent actors collectively delivering these essential functions to end users. This necessitates an expansion of BCM to accommodate a multiactor context. Critical considerations that need to be addressed in multiactor BCM involve shared use of a common, finite resource by several actors, or situations where an alternative continuity solution is relied upon by more than one actor, but its capacity is insufficient for simultaneous use by all. The aim of this paper is to propose a framework for multiactor BCM. The framework expands upon existing ISO 22301 standards to outline how BCM can be approached for the multiactor context. It diverges from the conventional BCM approach conducted by individual actors and embraces a societal safety perspective, facilitating the definition of a common analytic focus and promoting high conceptual harmonization. While acknowledging potential practical barriers, the framework facilitates the connection of BCM efforts from different actors with minimal additional analytic efforts. The overarching goal of the framework is to provide increased understanding of the continuity of the multiactor system, specifically focusing on its ability to deliver the most critical products or services to end users. Based on this understanding, the aim is to identify ways to further improve the continuity, for example by identifying and ranking critical products or services, identifying resources or alternative continuity solutions that many actors depend on in delivering their critical products and services. Finally, the paper addresses lingering challenges and highlights success factors necessary for the effective application of the framework.