A renovação estratégica de PME ́s a partir da pandemia do COVID-19: uma análise multicasos

Abstract

The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted all variables in the external and internal environment of organizations, causing drastic and immediate ruptures in the definition and review of the different types and levels of strategies implemented. In this sense, it is understood that large companies have a more assertive maneuver for competitiveness and survival, depending on the availability of resources and the degree of professionalism adopted. However, many concerns emerge in relation to small and medium-sized companies (SME's) that had to deal unexpectedly with an unusual situation, which are severely affected by the measures to contain the advance and combat of the pandemic. Thus, the objective proposed here is to analyze the process of strategic renewal adopted by SMEs with the advent of the COVID-19 Pandemic. To this end, a review of the supporting literature on the essence of strategic renewal, resilience and absorption capacity, in addition to the context of the pandemic and the nature of SMEs, was important. This time, a qualitative-exploratory empirical study was carried out, which involves the multiple case study method with five small and medium enterprises in a certain region of Minas Gerais. The in-depth interviews were guided by a script with the main representatives of these companies, recorded, transcribed and submitted to content analysis supported by the IRAMUTEQ software. The outputs from the software that support the content analysis carried out in this study form the Descending Hierarchical Classification (CHD), Word Cloud (NP), Similitude Analysis (AS) and Factor Correspondence Analysis (CFA). The results indicate that SMEs have found different ways to adapt to this adverse scenario, have implemented renewal strategies to face the crisis and guarantee their permanence in the market and, therefore, become stronger and more resilient. It is concluded that it was possible to identify that the studied SMEs sought forms of resilience to remain competitive, adopting strategies to respond and deal with adverse and challenging circumstances for the survival of companies. Companies proved to be adaptive in the face of the crisis scenario, technology through the implementation of social media, innovation of processes such as the adoption of the instant payment system through Pix, the diversification of products to meet demand and the search for knowledge ex