Active and passive approach to opportunities in crises events

Abstract

Purpose: The primary purpose of the paper is to discuss active and passive approaches to opportunities in strategic management. Crisis situations usually have negative consequences for companies but are also an impetus for implementing changes and seeking opportunities. Theoretical considerations focus on the identification of opportunities in strategic management and their impact on strategy reorientations. The theoretical verification of the above issues allowed to pose a research question: how did IT companies seize opportunities in the face of recent crisis events? Design/methodology/approach: In the article the theoretical concept of R. Krupski in its approach to opportunities was applied. To verify this concept qualitative research - case studies on the example of selected companies in the IT sector was used. Findings: According to theoretical considerations, a passive-external approach to opportunities should be the natural approach to crisis events. The cases presented indicate that the approach to opportunities depends on the specifics of the business, the experience gained and knowledge possessed, as well as the ability to find oneself in a dynamic environment. Both the passive- internal approach and the active-internal approach to opportunities are feasible in times of crises. Research limitations/implications: The qualitative research conducted is a prelude to further quantitative research on how companies seize opportunities in times of crisis. This research applies only to the IT sector and is worth extending to other sectors. Originality/value: The novelty of this article is the consideration of opportunity and how it is perceived under crisis conditions. These issues should be considered particularly relevant in the framework of business operations, especially in view of recent events, i.e. the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Keywords: crisis, opportunity, approach to opportunity, IT sector. Category of the paper: research paper.