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In the contemporary era, organizational resilience is crucial for the survival of firms. Firms are reluctant to focus on resilience-driven strategies and utilize them for long-term outcomes (He et al., 2025). Firm resilience (FR) has emerged as a central aspect in management and supply chain literature. FR reflects a posture of an ability to anticipate risks, adapt processes, and remain sustainable during crises. We argued that FR is a higher-order organizational capability, refined through the ongoing processes of sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring, aligning the approach with a dynamic capabilities view (DCV). In line with this aspect, we argued that digital transformation (DT), smart technologies (ST), and green supply chain management (GSCM) emerged as particularly salient capabilities (Ma et al., 2026). DT restructures business models and provides the basis for digital infrastructures that are necessary for agility (Xu et al., 2024).
DT on FR is not identified unless operationalized through ST integration. ST enables real-time visibility, predictive risk analytics, and automation. GSCM practices integration, which boosts firms’ reconfiguring capability in their supply chain networks toward ecological sustainability and resource efficiency. Moreover, DT initiates the adoption of ST, which sequentially mediates GSCM, which fosters resilience through a sequential integrated pathway (Su et al., 2025).
This study provides an emerging context with both opportunities and challenges for firms in China (Deng et al., 2025; Ye et al., 2024). China advances ambitious national visions centered on sustainable development (Agarwal et al., 2021). These efforts are evident in the extensive development of smart infrastructure, digital platforms, and green development initiatives. In addition, China's role as an economic and technological leader drives knowledge-based growth. FR is an important aspect that led to their survival in China (Cheng et al., 2022). These logistics firms face institutional pressures (IP; coercive regulations, normative societal expectations, and mimetic competition) that may align firms’ technological adoption with sustainability imperatives. This makes ST a source of efficiency, which enhances effectiveness, bolsters environmental legitimacy, and strengthens stakeholder trust. Therefore, the interplay between these dynamic capabilities and external IP makes firms more adaptive. This study investigated how DT, ST, and GSCM intersect to build FR (Cheng et al., 2022). We argued that capability deployment is contingent, path-dependent, and shaped by institutional logics.
IP affect internal managerial strategic choices in shaping firm strategies in China. Moreover, the research was mainly skewed toward advanced economies, neglecting regions, making it crucial to develop an adapted research model. Moreover, it is imperative to understand how Chinese companies use DT, ST, and GSCM to develop resilience and stay competitive in a changing market.