Dynamic capability of resilience and CSR, the winning alchemy against the Covid-19?

Abstract

While overcoming crises is one of the traditional challenges, facing the Covid-19 crisis, some SMEs have developed, in record time, a strategic capability for resilience to ensure their sustainability. This article explores the role of CSR engagement in this process of organizational resilience. A unique case study has been conducted with a French textile company, Les Tissages de Charlieu, which was particularly involved in the “war effort” to urgently produce fabric masks from March 2020. Our study shows CSR’s role as a catalyst in the approach to organizational resilience at various stages (anticipation, adjustment and adaptation). The research perspectives fit into a political approach to CSR that integrates issues related to digital transformation through the notion of Corporate Digital Responsibility.