<![CDATA[The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of supply chain disruptions on the operational resilience of creative SMEs by testing the role of threat interpretation bias as a mediator and disruption mitigation as a moderator, based on the threat–rigidity theory perspective. Limited resources, reliance on suppliers, and creativity-based business activities make creative SMEs more vulnerable to supply chain disruptions. A quantitative approach was used in this study to analyze survey data from 155 MSME actors across five creative industry subsectors, namely culinary, fashion, crafts, retail, and visual communication design. The data were analyzed using PLS-SEM to assess direct and indirect relationships, as well as mediation and moderation effects. The results show that, in terms of operational resilience, supply chain disruptions don’t have a direct effect. However, supply chain disruptions have a positive and significant effect on threat interpretation bias, which is positively associated with operational resilience and functions as a full mediator linking supply chain disruptions to operational resilience. Furthermore, disruption mitigation was not found to have a significant moderating role in this relationship. These findings show that, in the context of creative MSMEs, interpretation of threats can be a cognitive mechanism that encourages adaptive responses to disruptions. This study expands the application of threat-rigidity theory by showing that an organization’s response to threats is influenced by context and shaped by adaptive capabilities.]]>
