Traditional bureaucracy and newly-revived leading groups: The Chinese government’s organizational responses to COVID-19

Abstract

Drawing on instrumental-structural and cultural-value perspectives, this article examines the Chinese government’s organizational responses to COVID-19 in Wuhan. It highlights two stages: cover-up and inaction, and then a draconian national campaign, with the creation of a central Leading Group (LG) as a major landmark. This process involves a layered institutional change, integrating networked LG arrangements into the existing bureaucracy system. Culturally, collective values initially discourage local risky action but later encourage national mobilization. Importantly, under the Party’s leadership, a network of networks has been formed around the CLG, showcasing both Chinese characteristics and post-NPM features.