Decoupling Deliberate Strategy from Emergent Adaptation: A Reconceptualization of Dynamic Capability Orchestration Under Polycrisis Conditions

Abstract

Contemporary strategic management theory has long operated under the assumption that deliberate planning and emergent adaptation constitute a productive tension within organizational design. This article critically re-examines that premise by analyzing dynamic capability orchestration across 214 multinational enterprises operating under compounded macroeconomic and geopolitical disruptions between 2020 and 2024. Employing a mixed-methods design combining structural equation modeling with longitudinal case analysis, we demonstrate that under polycrisis conditions, the deliberate–emergent dichotomy systematically undermines resource reconfiguration efficiency. Our findings reveal that firms achieving superior resilience-adjusted performance indices adopted a third strategic mode—catalytic repositioning—that transcends conventional ambidexterity frameworks. Theoretical contributions include a revised microfoundational taxonomy of managerial cognition and a recalibrated orchestration model applicable to volatile, uncertainty-dominant competitive landscapes.