Purpose

This paper aims to detail the actions of the Russian subsidiary of a multinational IT company, during the COVID–19 pandemic, aimed toward the exploration and exploitation of unexpected business opportunities. It depicts the strategic and tactical actions of the subsidiary and corporate initiatives during the pandemic, revealing tensions between the subsidiary and its corporate parent on implementation of each’s initiatives.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study is presented, based on action research, using internal documents from the company under consideration, participation in various working meetings, meetings with customers and interviews with subsidiary management.

Findings

The strategic actions implemented by the subsidiary during the pandemic exemplify strategic agility, i.e. a set of activities carried out by a company that create value in a turbulent and unpredictable environment which in turn require systematic variations in specific processes, products and structures. Some of those variations included the unauthorized amendment of internal corporate rules, leading to tensions between the subsidiary and parent company. This case illustrates that such parent-subsidiary tensions are an inevitable element of achieving agility at the subsidiary level, especially during rapid and unpredictable changes in the business environment.

Research limitations/implications

This study presents the flow of events in one multinational corporation subsidiary. However, the authors speculate that similar situations (subsidiary actions exploiting emergent business opportunities and which have been restricted by rigid internal corporate rules and regulations and low receptivity from corporate headquarters) occurred in many multinational corporation subsidiaries, aiming to explore and exploit nascent business opportunities in local markets during the pandemic.

Practical implications

The study confirms the necessity for the review of the functioning of the corporate immune system of large multinational corporations to allow more subsidiary initiatives to flourish than before the pandemic.

Originality/value

The paper presents a case of strategic agility at subsidiary level during the pandemic. It also uncovers the black-boxing managerial decision-making processes in headquarters-subsidiary relations during the extreme turbulence of business environment.

中文翻译：

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在 COVID-19 大流行期间争取战略敏捷性：一家大型跨国 IT 公司的俄罗斯子公司案例

目的

本文旨在详细介绍一家跨国 IT 公司的俄罗斯子公司在 COVID-19 大流行期间的行动，旨在探索和利用意想不到的商机。它描述了大流行期间子公司和公司举措的战略和战术行动，揭示了子公司与其母公司之间在实施各自举措方面的紧张关系。

设计/方法/方法

在行动研究的基础上，提出了一个案例研究，使用了所考虑公司的内部文件，参加了各种工作会议、与客户的会议以及与子公司管理层的访谈。

发现

子公司在大流行期间实施的战略行动体现了战略敏捷性，即公司开展的一系列活动，这些活动在动荡和不可预测的环境中创造价值，这反过来又需要特定流程、产品和结构的系统变化。其中一些变化包括未经授权修改内部公司规则，导致子公司和母公司之间的紧张关系。这个案例表明，这种母子公司之间的紧张关系是在子公司层面实现敏捷性的必然因素，尤其是在商业环境发生快速和不可预测的变化期间。

研究限制/影响

本研究介绍了一家跨国公司子公司的事件流向。然而，作者推测，类似的情况（子公司利用紧急商机的行为，受到严格的公司内部规章制度和公司总部接受度低的限制）发生在许多跨国公司的子公司中，旨在探索和利用新兴的商机。大流行期间的当地市场。

实际影响

该研究证实了对大型跨国公司的企业免疫系统功能进行审查的必要性，以允许比大流行之前更多的附属计划蓬勃发展。

原创性/价值

本文介绍了大流行期间子公司层面的战略敏捷性案例。它还揭示了在商业环境极端动荡期间总部与子公司关系中的黑盒管理决策过程。