Network‐Enabled Responses to Deglobalization: Examining How Firms Strategize During Eras of Global Disruption

Abstract Recent research has shown how cycles of globalization and deglobalization can disrupt firms and networks. Understanding this process requires a historical perspective on how firms and networks coordinate, strategize, and respond to the effects of deglobalization. This paper examines firm‐level, network‐enabled strategic responses to deglobalization by analysing a selection of key firms operating within the Liverpool (UK) and New York (USA) networks at the turn of the nineteenth century. The case study analyses firms within a broader network structure through network visualization, supplemented by various archival data sources. We explore the strategic responses of multiple firms and demonstrate how the network supported them, enabling them to address the challenges posed by deglobalization. We identify five categories of network‐enabled strategic responses to deglobalization: reinforcement, adaptation, shared risk, lobbying, and exit.