Operational Sovereignty and Strategic Dependence in Times of Crisis

Multinational corporations increasingly rely on external strategic partners such as cloud providers, cybersecurity firms, logistics operators, and consulting companies to perform critical operational functions. While outsourcing is commonly adopted to improve efficiency and access specialized expertise, recent crises including cyberattacks, cloud failures, and supply chain disruptions have revealed potential risks associated with such dependencies. This thesis examines how contractual dependence on external strategic providers affects the decision-making capacity of multinational firms during crises. The study introduces the concept of operational sovereignty, referring to an organization’s ability to maintain autonomous operational decision-making despite external dependencies. Using a qualitative multi-case study approach, the research analyzes several corporate crisis situations and integrates expert insights to identify how outsourcing relationships influence crisis response. The study also proposes an analytical framework aimed at evaluating the impact of external dependencies on organizational autonomy and resilience.