Strategies and mechanisms for building digital resilience of container shipping platform in crisis situations: A network orchestration perspective

The massive disruptions caused by COVID-19 over the past three years have fully accelerated the digital transformation of the traditional shipping industry. An increasing number of studies have focused on how companies utilize digital technologies to reshape traditional business processes and build digital resilience, viewing it as an important means to enable quick rebound from crises. However, current research mostly measures the characteristics of digital resilience from a static perspective, with fewer studies revealing how digital resilience is built from a dynamic process perspective, which is an important issue for ports and shipping enterprises to consider how to prepare for the “next” potential shock in the VUCA era. Therefore, we conducted an in-depth longitudinal case study on a leading container shipping platform in China. By introducing the theoretical perspective of network orchestration, we propose a process model for the construction of digital resilience: “opportunity perception – orchestration role – resilience strategy”. The results demonstrate specific strategies and evolution mechanisms for enterprises to build digital resilience at different stages under crisis situations. This provides practical references for the container shipping industry to cope with potential crises through digital transformation.