Resilience in Crisis: A Longitudinal Study of Entrepreneurial Responses to COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore what factors contribute to entrepreneurial resilience by analysing the challenges that Chinese entrepreneurs in China and Poland encountered during the pandemic, their coping plans, and the adjustments they made. Methodology/Approach: The paper adopts a two-year longitudinal research methodology with two rounds of in-depth interviews to observe the immediate challenges faced by entrepreneurs and their responses at the beginning of 2021 on the one hand, and to follow up on their adjustments and the state of their businesses in 2023 on the other hand, in order to shed light on the long duration and complexity of the pandemic›s impact on entrepreneurs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two Chinese entrepreneurs to capture evolving dynamics. Data analysis emphasises thematic coding and content analysis to identify the dimensions influencing entrepreneurs’ resilience and adaptability in the post-COVID-19 era. Findings: In the 2021 interviews, entrepreneurs demonstrated three key competencies: utilising network resources, rapid responding, and innovating. By the 2023 follow-up interviews, we found that entrepreneurs’ hardiness and flexible adjustment became essential to their resilience. These five dimensions represent entrepreneurs’ complexity and multidimensional resilience in a crisis. Limitations: The research based on a limited dataset consisting of only two companies, which may not be representative of the broader business landscape. Additionally, there may be a degree of subjectivity in interpreting the data, and some details are lacking, such as specific financial figures. To enhance the depth and breadth of our findings, future research should aim for a larger and more diverse sample, access to more comprehensive data, and a more extended time frame.