Antecedent configurations of organizational resilience in a major crisis: A strategic fit perspective

Abstract

While research on organizational resilience has explored how organizations respond to adversity from either a capability-based or process-based perspective, the interplay between organizational capabilities and crisis responses remains underexplored. Drawing on the concept of strategic fit, we propose an integrated framework centered on the matching between key antecedents of organizational resilience—crisis responses and dynamic capabilities—which help firms navigate external shocks. We argue that the matching between specific capabilities and responses may vary depending on the institutional contexts and the crisis timeframes. Using the fsQCA approach and two datasets of listed firms from the U.S. and China during the COVID-19 crisis, we identify multiple configurations where crisis responses align with capability conditions to foster high resilience. These configurations differ based on the institutional contexts and the crisis timeframes. Overall, our study has significant implications for organizational resilience theory and crisis management practice.