To be forestalled or to fall behind; to end up one step behind or in a reactive (rather than proactive) position because of slow or delayed action.
競合他社に先を越されて、うちの会社は後手に回った。
We were beaten to it by a competitor, and our company fell behind.
災害対策で準備が遅れ、対応が後手に回ってしまった。
Preparations for disaster response were delayed, and our response ended up being reactive.
交渉で後手に回らないよう、事前に資料を整えておいた。
To avoid falling behind in the negotiation, I prepared the materials in advance.