The study contributes to the literature on SCM and SCRES in important ways. First the research extends understanding of SCRES by explaining the evolution of SCRES strategies and practices during and post-crisis based on the study of global COVID-19 pandemic. Second, it extends current research on the role of OA within supply chain management, highlighting issues related to SCRES strategies. Third, conclusions make a contribution to the research agenda focused on managing supply chains in the times of crisis. There is relatively little research linking SCRES with OA concept in the crisis perspective.

Schell Ch (2020) Here’s how we need to change global supply chains after COVID-19. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/09/covid-19-crisis-change-global-supply-chains/ Ponis, S.T., Tatsiopoulos, I.P., Vagenas, G. and Koronis, E. 2007. A process-based Knowledge Management framework supported by ARIS Enterprise Modelling architecture. International Journal of Applied Systemic Studies. 1 (2), pp. 168-187. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJASS.2007.015587Ivanov D (2020a) Predicting the impacts of epidemic outbreaks on global supply chains: a simulation-based analysis on the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2) case. Transp Res 136:101922. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tre.2020.101922 In addition to launching their online activities, companies should also think about preparing their employees properly. Investing in the development of employees' digital skills is essential, as working from home could become a daily reality for many professions even after the end of the pandemic. Blindenbach-Driessen F, Van Den Ende J (2014) The locus of innovation: the effect of a separate innovation unit on exploration, exploitation, and ambidexterity in manufacturing and service firms. J Prod Innov Manag 31(5):1089–1105. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12146 Hohenstein NO, Feisel E, Hartmann E, Giunipero L (2015) Research on the phenomenon of supply chain resilience. Int J Phys Distrib Logist Manag 45(1/2):90–117. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-05-2013-0128 Linton T, Vakil B (2020) Coronavirus is proving we need more resilient supply chains. Retrieved March 18, 2020, from https://hbr.org/2020/03/coronavirus-is-proving-that-we-need-more-resilient-supply-chains

Clauss T, Kraus S, Kallinger FL, Bican PM, Brem A, Kailer N (2020) Organizational ambidexterity and competitive advantage: the role of strategic agility in the exploration-exploitation paradox. J Innov Knowl. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2020.07.003 ( in press) Purchasing leaders were challenged to make decisions that would allow the company to weather this period least severely. The first task for the purchasing departments was to cut costs sharply, as purchasing and the organization of the supply chain were responsible for around 50%-80% of costs in the organization. It was important to guarantee liquidity and financial stability in view of rising transport prices and increased production costs. Rice J, Caniato F (2003) Building a secure and resilient supply network. Supply Chain Manag Rev 7:22–30Ivanov D (2020b) Viable supply chain model: integrating agility, resilience and sustainability perspectives—lessons from and thinking beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Ann Oper Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-020-03640-6 Proactive SCRES strategy based on exploitation This strategy includes practices aimed at systematic strengthening of the SCRES, based on the exploitation of available resources. They are typical of the earlier indicated SCRES readiness and growth phases. Organizations need to adopt a proactive approach to ensure resilience needed to absorb and avoid potential disruptions by not only returning to the original state through adaptation, but by surpassing it through developing specific elements to boost performance. Güemes-Castorena D, Ruiz-Monroy BC (2020) Ambidexterity in the supply chain: studying the apparel industry. Int J Agile Syst Manag 13(2):130–158. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJASM.2020.107904 O’Reilly CA, Tushman ML (2011) Organizational ambidexterity in action: how managers explore and exploit. Calif Manag Rev 53(4):5–22. https://doi.org/10.1525/cmr.2011.53.4.5 Kang J, Diao Z, Zanini MT (2020) Business-to-business marketing responses to COVID-19 crisis: a business process perspective. Mark Intell Plan 39(3):454–468. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-05-2020-0217

Our company sells through two channels: in-store pharmacies and online sales. With the development of the pandemic, it began to develop product categories that were previously not in demand. The categories such antibacterial gels, gloves, masks, visors were until now practically a forgotten assortment. There was no demand for these products. This changed practically overnight. The category buyer had to research the market in depth and really build an offer for the consumer from scratch. At the present time, this product category shows potential to catch up in sales. If not for the pandemic this category would definitely not have become the leading and mainly sales generating category. Once the pandemic is over, the category is still to be maintained, as it is assumed that people will become more aware of taking care of their safety and will develop the habits of disinfecting, using gloves and masks in everyday life. Companies dependent on global sourcing face difficult crisis management choices in the wake of supply chain disruptions. A good solution is to monitor global suppliers. New technologies like artificial intelligence allow for extensive supplier monitoring.What changes has the pandemic caused to the structure of your company’s SC? Is your company planning SC reconfiguration after the COVID-19 pandemic? If so, to what extent? OA can be implemented in a variety of ways. Most common approaches are: sequential ambidexterity, structural ambidexterity and contextual ambidexterity (O’Reilly and Tushman 2013; Ossenbrink et al. 2019). Sequential and structural approaches try to overcome generic conflict between exploration and exploitation through separation of those activities. In former approach, it is temporal separation and in latter approach structural separation (Tushman and O’Reilly 1996; Birkinshaw and Gibson 2004). In contextual approach, employees make choices between alignment-oriented and adaptation-oriented activities in their day-to-day work. That is some kind of temporal separation of activities, but emerging on individual level (Birkinshaw and Gibson 2004). Different studies proved that organizations apply in distinct configurations discussed approaches to ambidexterity (Fourné et al. 2019; O’Reilly and Tushman 2013). However, regardless of the approach, OA means implementing both exploration and exploitation practices. Yan M, Yu Y, Dong X (2016) Contributive roles of multilevel organizational learning for the evolution of organizational ambidexterity. Inf Technol People 29(3):647–667. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-04-2015-0079 Minatogawa V, Franco M, Durán O, Quadros R, Holgado M, Batocchio A (2020) Carving out new business models in a small company through contextual ambidexterity: the case of a sustainable company. Sustainability 12(6):1–34. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062337 The ambidexterity concept can be implemented in SCM by developing practices, which help in both exploiting current competencies and exploring new ones. Generally, exploitation is focused on activities that help to transform resources into commercial ends (Pertusa-Ortega and Molina-Azorín 2018), improve existing operational processes (Blindenbach-Driessen and Van Den Ende 2014), components (Benner and Tushman 2002) and product-market domain (He and Wong 2004). According to March ( 1991), exploitation concerns refinement, efficiency, control and implementation (Blindenbach-Driessen and Van Den Ende 2014). It is related to exploiting existing strengths and using known solutions (Martin et al. 2019). Exploitation enables an organization to stay strong in actual activities (Blindenbach-Driessen and Van Den Ende 2014). Exploitation can be achieved by using the existing organizational resources and routinization (Aoki and Wilhelm 2017). Examples of exploitation activities applied to SC resources include supplier development, supplier qualification and automation of cross-organizational tasks (Rojo Gallego Burin et al. 2020). They are aimed at maintaining relationships with current suppliers, searching for SC solutions using the existing resources and leveraging current SC technologies (Lee and Rha 2016). Exploitation focusses on short-term benefits and measurable targets like cost reduction, reliability, risk reduction and the overall efficiency of the supply chain (Partanen et al. 2020). In the organizational learning approach, exploitation is related to the acquisition of knowledge by seeking, selection, processing of information and the betterment of existing routines through experience (Baum et al. 2000; Rojo Gallego Burin et al. 2020). Activities using the existing knowledge base are intended to refine current processes and technologies (Güemes-Castorena and Ruiz-Monroy 2020).