An institutional analysis of corporate management strategic responses to COVID-19: UK evidence

Purpose This study aims to present an institutional perspective on how corporate management in UK firms navigated the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, shedding light on their strategies and responses. Design/methodology/approach This study addresses C-Suite reports of UK companies from 2020 to 2021, uncovering how directors navigated the pandemic’s challenges. Using thematic analysis and guided by Oliver’s (1991) framework, this paper explores the strategic responses and tactics that shaped their decision-making during this unprecedented period. Findings The findings reveal different patterns in corporate responses shaped by attributes such as industry, profitability and C-suite roles (Chairman or CEO). This paper uncovered the diverse strategies UK companies adopted during the pandemic, which ranged from proactive acquiescence and active manipulation to compromise, avoidance and even defiance. This analysis presents a nuanced look at how businesses navigated this turbulent period. Practical implications The major implication of the findings is that corporate responses to crises are not uniform, rather they vary significantly based on organizational characteristics. This highlights the need for tailored crisis management strategies that account for these factors, as well as the importance of understanding the diverse strategic approaches that businesses may adopt while encountering existing crises. Originality/value This study enriches the literature by offering insightful interpretative and institutional perspectives on how C-Suite leaders navigated and responded to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.