Agility and Resilience of the French “Industrie du Futur” During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Insights from a Multi-dimensional Framework

This multi-case study analyzes the role of organizational factors influencing Industry 5.0 resilience during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in France. McKinsey’s 7S framework is used to understand how eight French Small and Medium Enterprises belonging to the “Industrie du Futur” alliance adapted their strategy, structure, systems, skills, staff, shared values and management style while relying on their shared values to develop organizational agility and resilience. Our findings confirm that, even if technology systems were a key component of their response to the Covid-19 situation, human elements also played a central role in their ability to cope with the crisis. Our research also sheds light on the importance of stakeholder networks in an organization’s ability to adapt and prosper during crises. The resulting framework could help companies to develop a human-centric approach to agility and resilience.