Is acting on emerging markets environment a challenge of the unknown? The answer from complexity theory perspective

Purpose: The contemporary environment imposes tensions, which result in growing unpredictability, on companies. This makes it difficult to rely on traditional forms of organization and strategies based on the rational decision-making model. The aim of the author’s own research was to identify the ways of adaptation of enterprises to the conditions of emerging markets, which are defined as a business environment of high uncertainty. Design/methodology/approach: A single case study was used in the research. The enterprise selected for the research is a good example of the studied phenomenon, which also made convenient access to data in longitudinal studies possible. The obtained results were confronted with the literature on the subject in the field of CAS. Findings: The case of the enterprise selected for the study belongs to a group of independent SMEs that can compete against the largest players in the industry. The results of the study indicated that it was possible due to similar mechanisms existing on various levels of the analysis. These include making decisions based on the patterns derived from personal experience; high adaptability resulting from the required diversity, which, at the same time, makes effectiveness more important than efficiency; lack of a clear strategy, and instead the ability to deal with initial conditions and monitoring the emergence of patterns; openness to experimentation, and individual assessments and measures. Research limitations/implications: The limitations of the obtained results may result from a limited test sample. Originality/value: The theoretical perspective adopted in the research - CAS and the empirical dimension – emerging markets, constitute a relatively little explored alternative to research conducted in their mainstream. The obtained research results may be of interest to representatives of science and practice, especially with regard to the current crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.