Table 5 Summary of thematic analysis of... | Emerald Publishing

Table 5

Summary of thematic analysis of interviews

	Theme	Explanation	Digitally mature SME retailer example	Less digitally mature SME retailer example	Organisational resilience dimensions and sub-dimensions exhibited
1	Optimism about future prospects	Digitally immature SME retailers used a higher frequency of negative sentiment words to describe their current situation and their future than digitally mature SME retailers	“We have also delayed the launch of certain products due to COVID. It has however given us time to improve our operational performance and further understand our customer.”	“It has influenced our business negatively. Our supply chain has been disrupted resulting in limited or no stock. Secondly, the demand for our products has gone down.”	Adaptive capacity - Leadership, management and governance structures - Information and knowledge
2	Purposive strategies in place	Less digitally mature SME retailers reported a “things will get better” attitude, while digitally mature SME retailers already had clear strategies and plans in place	“… this was a totally unique crisis. We were better prepared than most businesses, including our local competition. We acted immediately … We retrained staff, changed our business model to more of a retail focus, and immediately started on improving our e-commerce capability. Generally, we were decently well-prepared.”	“For the 6 weeks, everything was kept on hold, and staff had half pay, after the 6 weeks, when the dealerships opened we started over and built again.”	Situational awareness - Monitoring and reporting Management of keystone vulnerabilities - Planning strategies - Internal resource capabilities Adaptive capacity - Leadership, management and governance structures
3	Digitally innovative solutions	Digitally mature SMEs offered more innovative solutions to the challenges posed by the pandemic	“Revenue streams initially came to a grinding halt … However, we managed to innovate our processes and became an essential services provider through the manufacturing of denim masks.”	“Our business struggled initially but came out alright in the end, with some hard work to ensure consumers the cleanliness of our bakery.”	Adaptive capacity - Innovation and creativity

	Theme	Explanation	Digitally mature SME retailer example	Less digitally mature SME retailer example	Organisational resilience dimensions and sub-dimensions exhibited
1	Optimism about future prospects	Digitally immature SME retailers used a higher frequency of negative sentiment words to describe their current situation and their future than digitally mature SME retailers	“We have also delayed the launch of certain products due to COVID. It has however given us time to improve our operational performance and further understand our customer.”	“It has influenced our business negatively. Our supply chain has been disrupted resulting in limited or no stock. Secondly, the demand for our products has gone down.”	Adaptive capacity- Leadership, management and governance structures - Information and knowledge
2	Purposive strategies in place	Less digitally mature SME retailers reported a “things will get better” attitude, while digitally mature SME retailers already had clear strategies and plans in place	“… this was a totally unique crisis. We were better prepared than most businesses, including our local competition. We acted immediately … We retrained staff, changed our business model to more of a retail focus, and immediately started on improving our e-commerce capability. Generally, we were decently well-prepared.”	“For the 6 weeks, everything was kept on hold, and staff had half pay, after the 6 weeks, when the dealerships opened we started over and built again.”	Situational awareness- Monitoring and reporting Management of keystone vulnerabilities - Planning strategies - Internal resource capabilities Adaptive capacity - Leadership, management and governance structures
3	Digitally innovative solutions	Digitally mature SMEs offered more innovative solutions to the challenges posed by the pandemic	“Revenue streams initially came to a grinding halt … However, we managed to innovate our processes and became an essential services provider through the manufacturing of denim masks.”	“Our business struggled initially but came out alright in the end, with some hard work to ensure consumers the cleanliness of our bakery.”	Adaptive capacity- Innovation and creativity