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The purpose of this paper is to analyze simultaneously two moderator effects on a model of relationships between external human resource (HR) flexibility and innovation in a large sample of manufacturing firms.

The study sample consisted of 1,864 Spanish industrial firms in 2012 compiled from a large set of statements from the Survey of Business Strategies questionnaire. Logit and linear regressions tested the moderator effects of inter-organizational technology cooperation and environmental (market) dynamism in the relationship between external HR flexibility and innovation performance. To control for multicollinearity the Lance’s residual centering technique was used.

Process innovations seemed to be dependent on industry while innovative firms have developed a greater flexibility than non-innovative firms. Some moderator effects were found regarding inter-organizational cooperation while the market dynamism was negatively related to the measures of innovation with absence of moderator effects.

Future studies should integrate more moderator effects that may influence the relationship between external HR flexibility and the firm’s innovation performance. The results regarding the influences of external flexibility on innovation have to be differentiated as inter-organizational technological cooperation compensated the influence of external workplace flexibility on innovation.

Managers should use a right mix of external flexibility measures according to the inter-organizational cooperation but regardless the level of environmental dynamism.

This paper is original in the sense that it studies the relationship between external HR flexibility and innovation with the simultaneous moderator effect of inter-organizational technology cooperation and market dynamism. The value of the paper lies in the discussion of interrelated moderator effects in order to propose adequate strategies to develop external HR flexibility.

This paper aims to provide an analysis of Spanish Defence National Foresight Exercise.

The analysis is based on a content analysis of public domain Spanish Defence National Foresight Exercise, and a study directed to analyse the impact on defence technological and industrial base.

Foresight studies on the defence and security environment uses hybrid methodologies, but rarely involve all the stakeholders, and specially the citizens. The authors place a particular emphasis on the impact of these defence and security foresight studies, and following policies to increase the competitiveness and advanced technologies in the future. The analysis of the Spanish contractors allows an evaluation of the roadmaps as a policy instrument for the industrial defence industry. The main challenges for the next exercises in the European countries are to increase the interest in the firms’ intelligence systems, and the participation and representation of citizens as a way to guarantee their rights. Therefore, a technology roadmap must be complemented with other more participative foresight methods.

Foresight studies on the defence and security environment have been the subject of very few systematic analyses of impact. This paper makes a contribution to such analysis.

The purpose of this paper is to study the implications of managing human resource (HR) flexibility and absorptive capacity (AC) of knowledge for the implementation of agile innovation methods in the new product development (NPD) process of manufacturing firms.

To achieve this, the authors have carried out a meta-analysis by defining first a research question that determines the design of bibliometric data and compilation. The study question is: How firms can support agile initiatives in innovation considering their HR flexibility and AC? The Web of Science Collection has been consulted in three steps with several search strings. The analysis of 161 references without duplicities in the period 1997–2021 provides the foundations for exploring the research question.

The authors propose research hypotheses to analyze the interrelationship between HR flexibility, AC and agile innovation according to the literature-based discussion. The authors have identified and develop metrics to pilot the transition to agile that have been also adapted to specific innovation departures points before the transition. The authors also propose and discuss some organizational changes and practical guidelines to pilot transitions to agile that should be useful to the firm’s strategic decision of implementing the most adequate type of agile innovation.

Even though flexibility and innovation are very important needs for many firms, agile schemes are still under-studied topics in the NPD of manufacturing firms. There are no specific studies in the literature that analyze the interrelationship between HR flexibility, AC and agile innovation, identifying common aspects and different approaches. Thus, this study is of original nature and the developed managerial tools, composed of metrics and organizational changes, will be useful to managers and permitted the authors to achieve the proposed goal.

The study analyzes the relationship between human resources (HR) flexibility and absorptive capacity (AC) of knowledge in a sample of Spanish manufacturing firms. The purpose of the research is to analyze if firms with greater AC are more flexible than other firms and to assess the implications of different combinations of HR flexibility and AC for innovation.

The study sample consisted of 1,666 Spanish industrial firms in 2015 compiled from a large set of statements from the Survey of Business Strategies (SBS) questionnaire. The methodology includes a cluster analysis and a case study of selected firms. First, a k-means clustering analysis was carried out to explore how homogeneous are the SBS firms according to several HR flexibility and AC measures. The authors complement the clustering itself with some descriptive statistics for each cluster. Second, the statistical analysis is followed by a selection of case studies from industrial firms in different positions regarding innovation, AC, and HR flexibility. The information for the cases studies comes from secondary sources such as corporate governance reports and statements of managers and employees from company websites and public reports.

The empirical evidence indicates that some combinations of HR flexibility and AC are positively related to innovation outputs whereas others are not. Firms with greater AC, R&D effort and innovation outputs have less “bad” HR flexibility (external numerical flexibility from temporary employees and temporary help agencies) and more “good” HR flexibility (internal and external functional flexibility). On the contrary, firms with minimum or non-existent innovation and AC efforts have the highest levels of temporary employment and do not hire external R&D experts.

The limitations of the cross-sectional nature of the study make the authors cautious about any proposition that may suggest a causal relationship among the studied variables.

Managers should pay attention to the different implications of each HR flexibility dimension for innovation activities since innovative companies value more those HR flexibility dimensions that contribute to the dispersion of knowledge within the firm.

The authors propose a framework to analyze the combination of HR flexibility and AC most suitable to different types of firms. Based on the statistical analyses and the case studies, the authors propose some strategic implications useful for the management of human resources. The matrix's framework analyzes the firm's innovation strategies according to the interactions between AC and the mix of HR flexibility dimensions.

This paper aims to provide a strategic analysis of firms at the lowest hierarchical levels of the defence industry.

This paper presents the main results of an exploratory, multiple-case study that analyses the current strategy drivers and their views about the future ones, and their impact at the lowest hierarchical levels of the defence industry in Spain.

This investigation develops and analyses a contingency model regarding the strategy impact and effects of firms’ drivers and clients, both mediated by the strategy players because of their huge impact on the defence industry. The research model focuses on the internal relations between technical and commercial activities due to the cause and effect of their capabilities. Simultaneously, pull and push mechanisms boost firms’ capabilities and requirements to provide strategic foresight.

Ministries of Defence (MoDs) and prime contractors will remain mediating players in the near future even with further implications for the competition of Defence Technological and Industrial Base (DTIB) firms. It implies that firms and MoDs must maintain a close relation and implement more flexible practices, such as open innovation, property rights or new commercialization schemes.

This study offers insights related to the specific applications and the necessity of commercial and technological areas alignment of these firms for the future.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the mediating effect of supply chain agility (SCA) in the relationship between absorptive capacity (AC) and firm performance.

The authors use data from 231 Spanish firms and test the hypothesis by structural equation modelling.

SCA mediates the relationship between AC and firm performance.

The cross-sectional survey and the use of managerial perceptions may need to use longitudinal and real measures in future studies to validate causal relationships.

SCA may contribute to explain why AC improves firm performance. Firms with more agile supply chains may benefit more from their efforts in AC to improve firm performance.

A conceptual framework has been developed to explain the relationships of the main constructs of the study (AC and SCA) with firm performance and whether SCA mediates the relationship between AC and firm performance.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of a bundle of work–family policies on employee’s job satisfaction and (affective) organizational commitment, by using work–family enrichment and conflict as explanatory.

Empirical study is conducted with a sample of 322 employees from 30 Spanish firms that have been granted with the “Flexible Firm Award” or have been certified as “Family Responsible Firms.” Structural equation modeling is used to test hypotheses.

The results show that the higher the use of work–family policies the more positive effects on work–family enrichment and conflict, and that job satisfaction is positively related to (effective) organizational commitment.

This is a cross-sectional study which may limit the establishment of causal relationships.

Work–family policies may constitute a relevant management tool to balance work and family life by making employees more interested in their jobs, enhancing their well-being and reducing the conflicts between work and family domains. The positive role of work–family enrichment contributes to enhance employees’ job satisfaction and, at the same time, to increase their organizational commitment. Managers should pay attention at how work–family policies are justified because they may influence differently on their outcomes on satisfaction and commitment.

There are two main original contributions of the paper. First, the authors study the joint effect of work–family policies on different dimensions of enrichment and conflict. Second, the authors analyze the relationship between different dimensions of enrichment and conflict on job satisfaction and organizational commitment.

This paper develops a framework to study the potential feasibility to telework knowledge tasks and jobs. The model analyzes the knowledge tasks according to four basic knowledge processes: generation; codification; storage; and transfer. This taxonomy is used together with the distribution of productive work time of knowledge workers to ellaborate groups of knowledge tasks that are more suitable to be teleworked.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between agile production (flexible production technology) and absorptive capacity.

We use a database of 1,864 Spanish industrial firms from the Survey of Business Strategies (the largest Spanish database of its kind). Our theoretical approach is based on the resource-based view and the dynamic capabilities perspective. The methodology includes descriptive statistics analysis and lineal regression with moderator effect.

High-agile firms with greater absorptive capacity are more innovative and better performers than low-agile firms. Absorptive capacity moderates the relationship between flexible production technology and innovation performance.

This is a cross-sectional study, which may limit the establishment of causal relationships. We give evidence to the importance of studying absorptive capacity in the agile production implementation process.

There are several managerial implications. First, agile production systems should be integrated into the firm’s innovation system because the continuous improvement of agile production has to be reinforced by the outputs of external knowledge and in-house innovation activities. Second firms that use external sources of knowledge to improve production processes could leverage that benefit better, not only in Operations but also in innovation performance. The adoption of flexible production technology cannot be kept apart from the firm´s organizational learning processes based on external knowledge. Our results also support the contribution of clusters of collaborative firms to improve their production processes throughout absorptive capacity and thus the implementation of agile production systems.

This is the first study, to the best of our knowledge, has involved the role of absorptive capacity, as an internal capability/competence, to influence the relationship between agility/flexible technology and innovation performance.

Analizar la relación entre producción ágil (tecnología flexible de producción) y capacidad de absorción.

Se utiliza una base de datos de 1.864 empresas españolas manufactureras de la Encuesta de Estrategias Empresariales (la mayor base de datos española de este tipo). Nuestro enfoque teórico está basado en la teoría de recursos y capacidades dinámicas. La metodología incluye análisis estadístico descriptivo y regresión lineal con efecto moderador.

Las empresas ágiles con mayor capacidad de absorción son más innovadoras y obtienen mejores resultados que las empresas menos ágiles. La capacidad de absorción modera la relación entre tecnología de producción flexible y los resultados de innovación.

Es un estudio de corte transversal lo que limita el establecimiento de relaciones causales. Ese evidencia la importancia de estudiar la capacidad de absorción en el proceso de implantación de la producción ágil.

Hay varias implicaciones de gestión. La primera es que los sistemas de producción ágil deberían integrarse en el sistema de innovación de la empresa porque la mejora continua de la producción ágil ha de reforzarse con los outputs del conocimiento externo y las actividades internas de innovación. La segunda es que las empresas que utilizan fuentes externas de conocimiento para mejorar los procesos de producción podrían apalancar mejor ese beneficio, no solo en Operaciones sino también en resultados de innovación. La adopción de tecnología de producción flexible no puede mantenerse al margen de los procesos de aprendizaje organizativos basados en el conocimiento externo. Nuestros resultados también apoyan la contribución de los cluster de empresas colaboradoras para mejorar sus procesos de producción mediante la capacidad de absorción y con ello la implantación de sistemas de producción ágil.

No es aplicable

Este es el primer estudio, en la medida de nuestro conocimiento, que ha considerado el papel de la capacidad de absorción, como competencia/capacidad interna, para influir en la relación entre tecnología flexible e innovación.

Capacidad de absorción, Tecnología flexible de producción, Innovación

Trabajo de investigación

Analisar a relação entre produção ágil (tecnologia de produção flexível) e capacidade de absorção.

Um banco de dados de 1.864 empresas de manufatura espanholas é usado no Business Strategies Survey (o maior banco de dados espanhol desse tipo). Nossa abordagem teórica é baseada na teoria de recursos e capacidades dinâmicas. A metodologia inclui análise estatística descritiva e regressão linear com efeito moderador.

Empresas ágeis com maior capacidade de absorção são mais inovadoras e obtêm melhores resultados que empresas menos ágeis. A capacidade de absorção modera a relação entre a tecnologia de produção flexível e os resultados da inovação.

Trata-se de um estudo transversal que limita o estabelecimento de relações causais. Isso mostra a importância de se estudar a capacidade de absorção no processo de implementação da produção ágil.

Existem várias implicações de gerenciamento. A primeira é que os sistemas ágeis de produção devem ser integrados ao sistema de inovação da empresa, porque a melhoria contínua da produção ágil deve ser reforçada com os resultados de conhecimento externo e atividades internas de inovação. A segunda é que as empresas que usam fontes externas de conhecimento para melhorar os processos de produção podem aproveitar melhor esse benefício, não apenas nas operações, mas também nos resultados da inovação. A adoção de tecnologia de produção flexível não pode ser mantida fora dos processos de aprendizagem organizacional baseados em conhecimento externo. Nossos resultados também apoiam a contribuição do agrupamento de empresas colaboradoras para melhorar seus processos de produção através da capacidade de absorção e com isso a implementação de sistemas ágeis de produção.

não aplicável

Este é o primeiro estudo, na medida do nosso conhecimento, que considerou o papel da capacidade de absorção, como competência / capacidade interna, para influenciar a relação entre tecnologia flexível e inovação.

Capacidade de absorção, Tecnologia de produção flexível, Inovação

Trabalho de pesquisa

The purpose of this paper is to analyze in a sample of Spanish manufacturing firms the relationship between agile manufacturing and the firm’s management capacities related to innovation and production flexibility. Complementarily the survey addresses the implementation of agile production and its measurement.

For data collection, a survey through mail to operations and human resource managers of manufacturing firms and telephonic interviews with managers from 25 selective firms was carried out. The population of the study included firms from the Sistema de Análisis de Balances Ibéricos database with NACE codes 24–32 and at least 200 employees. Quantitative methods (linear hierarchical regression and mean differences) were used to test research hypotheses, and a qualitative method (interview analysis) was used to analyze an implementation and measurement model of agile production.

The results of the study show that high-agile firms use more intensively a comprehensive set of agile facilitators (design, manufacturing and supply). They also innovate and cooperate externally more on innovation than low-agile firms. The authors have found that external technological cooperation moderates the firm’s production flexibility.

The implications of this research indicate, on one hand, that firms interested in implementing agile production should focus on the agility management of supply chains, the skills and knowledge development of human resources and in the implementation of agile manufacturing technologies. On the other hand, firms in less cooperative environments should focus more on their internal manufacturing systems to reinforce the relationship between production flexibility and agility that offers broader scenarios to compete under this production paradigm. The main limitations of the research design are the use of cross-sectional data and the use of managerial perceptions to assess most of the variables.

This paper offers a model of agile production implementation that it is complemented with measurement indicators to analyze the firm’s evolution toward agility. The combination of multivariate analysis and managers’ interviews to obtain and validate results creates a value for managers interested in agile production.