To explore the role of strategic decision-making adaptations by middle managers in times of uncertainty

Abstract

The heightened uncertainty by Covid-19 created an environment whereby managers and organisations needed to adapt. However, the strategic adaptation in decisionmaking in times of uncertainty was not fully understood, especially in the heightened uncertainty, which created a need for this study. Therefore, this study explored the strategic decision-making adaptations by middle management, specifically in times of uncertainty. The study followed a qualitative approach through interviews of 15 middle managers across nine organisations in the fast-moving consumable goods industry. The study's findings demonstrated a need for middle management to adapt their strategic decision-making based on the environmental context that focuses on meeting the consumers changing needs. The adaptation exists in both the business and macro-environment, whereby these actions can pivot or mitigate risk for the organisation. The researcher proposes a conceptual framework for how middle management can adapt their strategic decision-making in times of uncertainty with an explicit focus on pivoting or mitigating risk in both the business and macroenvironment.