This article presents a study on determinants of Chinese managers’ crisis intention under the global financial turbulence from a resource‐based view. It draws three important findings through an empirical analysis of 91 Chinese listed companies. First, there is a significant negative relationship between slack resources and crisis intention. Second, there is a significant positive relationship between diversification and crisis intention. Finally, diversification positively moderates the linkage between slack resources and crisis intention. This study extends the resource‐based view to the area of crisis management and provides important guidance on how to effectively deal with the current economic crisis.