Three years later – The integration and continuity of digital solutions
at subsidiaries in Hungary after the COVID-19 pandemic
by Magdolna Sass, Andrea Sáfrányné Gubik and Gábor Túry
This paper aims to examine the extent to which digital practices adopted during the COVID-19 crisis – such as online communication, remote work, digital supply chains, and training – have persisted three years later in foreign-owned automotive and electronics subsidiaries operating in Hungary. The study seeks to identify the organizational, cultural, and functional factors that have shaped the retention or discontinuation of these practices, thereby contributing to a better understanding of long-term digital transformation processes in a post-crisis context.
The research question is: how have digital solutions introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic been integrated and sustained in the operations of foreign-owned electronics and automotive manufacturing subsidiaries in Hungary, and what factors influence their continuity or abandonment in the post-pandemic period?
Our research was based on semi-structured interviews with 15 foreign-owned automotive and electronics subsidiaries operating in Hungary during the pandemic, followed by short follow-up interviews with representatives of 6 of these firms three years later. The initial phase examined the pandemic’s impact on operations, the role of state subsidies, and firms’ crisis management strategies, while the follow-up focused on the persistence of digital practices and the reasons for their continuation or discontinuation.
Our results show that the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digitalization in Hungary, even though the widespread use of digital solutions had not been fully established before the crisis. Digital practices with clear and measurable business benefits were the most likely to persist, driven by efficiency gains, cost savings, and improved collaboration, particularly in internationally dispersed organizations. In contrast, digital solutions primarily supporting employee convenience and work-life balance, especially remote work, proved less stable and depended strongly on organizational culture, job characteristics, managerial attitudes, and external conditions.
The findings also reveal significant unevenness in digital transformation across firms, shaped not only by sectoral differences but also by firm size, digital maturity, and corporate culture. Companies with a stronger innovation background and greater openness to change were more successful in embedding crisis-induced digital practices into their long-term routines. Importantly, the study highlights that digitalization in crisis management is not merely a technical issue but a strategic and cultural one: sustained integration of digital tools depends on investments in employee training, adaptive management practices, attention to work–life balance, and workflow redesign. Overall, the pandemic functioned both as a technological turning point and as a test of organizational learning and adaptability.
The study identified organizational, cultural, and functional factors that shaped the continuation or discontinuation of digital practices, thereby contributing to a better understanding of long-term digital transformation processes in the post-crisis context.
Sass, M., S. Gubik, A., & Túry, G. (2025).
Three years later – The integration and continuity of digital solutions at subsidiaries in Hungary after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vezetéstudomány Budapest Management Review, 56(12), 18–27. https://doi.org/10.14267/VEZTUD.2025.12.02
