Market Digitalization and Resilience in Crisis Times

Abstract: Based on a conceptual framework that integrates three dimensions of digital transformation (DT), namely, the nature of the product, client interaction, and the level of coordination with industry players, this paper aims to explain the level of influence that contextual crisis factors may have played in organizational digitalization choices in search for resilience as part of adaptation strategies. In particular, this investigation would analyze digitalization choices as survival strategies for COVID-19 crisis in the case of Mexican enterprises. The selected country is of particular interest as research target in the Global South, in that public policy has offered little support to keep business organizations up and running, leaving entrepreneurs with no other option but to implement bottom-up resilience strategies, including digitalization. Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) has been proposed to identify combinations of conditions to explain the role played by COVID crisis-related contextual factors that may have led to particular forms of digitalization. Semi-structured interviews with industry associations are also proposed to gain knowledge about group responses to the crisis.