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The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of workplace incivility on innovation, organizational citizenship behaviors, organizational commitment and performance in travel agencies. The study also aims at exploring the mediating roles of innovation, organizational citizenship behaviors and organizational commitment in the relationship between workplace incivility and performance.

The questionnaire was used to collect study data from the sample, which consisted of employees in Egyptian travel agencies, category (A), in Cairo Governorate. The questionnaire link was sent to 854 employees in travel agencies, with 644 obtained responses. Only 586 responses were suitable for analysis.

The results depicted that there is a significant and negative effect of workplace incivility on innovation, organizational citizenship behaviors, organizational commitment and performance. The results also revealed a significant and positive effect of innovation, organizational citizenship behaviors and organizational commitment on performance. Moreover, the results indicated that innovation, organizational citizenship behaviors and organizational commitment play partial mediating roles in the link between workplace incivility and performance.

The current study attempts to measure the mediating role of innovation, organizational citizenship behaviors and organizational commitment in the link between workplace incivility and performance. Managerial implications, limitations and future research are also presented.

本研究的主要目的是评估工作场所不文明行为对旅行社创新、组织公民行为、组织承诺和绩效的影响。 该研究还旨在探讨创新、组织公民行为和组织承诺在工作场所不文明行为与绩效之间关系中的中介作用。

调查问卷用于从样本中收集研究数据, 样本包括开罗省埃及旅行社（A）类的员工。 问卷链接发送给854名旅行社员工, 收到644份回复。 只有 586 个回复适合分析。

结果表明, 工作场所的不文明行为对创新、组织公民行为、组织承诺和绩效产生显着的负面影响。 结果还揭示了创新、组织公民行为、组织承诺对绩效的显着和积极影响。 此外, 结果表明, 创新、组织公民行为和组织承诺在工作场所不文明行为和绩效之间的联系中发挥部分中介作用。

当前的研究试图衡量创新、组织公民行为和组织承诺在工作场所不文明行为和绩效之间的中介作用。 还介绍了管理意义、局限性和未来研究。

El objetivo principal del estudio es evaluar el impacto de la falta de civismo en el lugar de trabajo sobre la innovación, los comportamientos de ciudadanía organizativa, el compromiso de la organización y el rendimiento en las agencias de viajes. El estudio también pretende explorar los papeles mediadores de la innovación, las conductas de ciudadanía organizativa y el compromiso de la organización en la relación entre la incivilidad en el lugar de trabajo y el rendimiento.

Se utilizó el cuestionario para recopilar los datos del estudio de la muestra, que estaba formada por empleados de agencias de viajes egipcias, categoría (A), de la gobernación de El Cairo. El enlace del cuestionario se envió a 854 empleados de agencias de viajes, de los que se obtuvieron 644 respuestas. Sólo 586 respuestas fueron aptas para el análisis.

Los resultados revelaron que existe un efecto significativo y negativo de la falta de civismo en el lugar de trabajo sobre la innovación, las conductas de ciudadanía organizativa, el compromiso de la organización y el rendimiento. Los resultados también revelaron un efecto significativo y positivo de la innovación, los comportamientos de ciudadanía organizativa, el compromiso de la organización sobre el rendimiento. Además, los resultados indicaron que la innovación, las conductas de ciudadanía organizativa y el compromiso de la organización desempeñan papeles mediadores parciales en el vínculo entre la falta de civismo en el lugar de trabajo y el rendimiento.

El presente estudio trata de medir el papel mediador de la innovación, las conductas de ciudadanía organizativa y el compromiso de la organización en el vínculo entre la falta de civismo en el lugar de trabajo y el rendimiento. También se presentan las implicaciones para la gestión, las limitaciones y las investigaciones futuras.

A number of hospitality businesses are understaffed and are experiencing severe labor shortages, in various contexts. In many cases, hotels and restaurants are finding it difficult to retain and recruit motivated employees. In this light, this research uses key constructs related to the self-determination theory and integrates them with a responsible human resources management (HRM) measure, to investigate the antecedents of organizational commitment. The underlying objective of this study is to shed light on employee psychology and on responsible organizational behaviors in the hospitality industry.

Primary data were captured through an online questionnaire distributed via popular LinkedIn groups that represent hospitality employees. A composite-based structural equations modeling approach was used to confirm the reliability and validity of the chosen factors and to shed light on the causal paths of this contribution’s proposed model.

The results indicate that there are highly significant direct and indirect effects in this study, particularly between extrinsic motivations – organizational commitment and between responsible HRM – organizational commitment. These relationships are mediated by intrinsic motivations.

This contribution advances a robust responsible organizational behavior model comprising responsible HRM, extrinsic rewards, intrinsic motivation and organizational commitment.

This research implies that practitioners ought to incentivize and reward hardworking employees, in a commensurate manner, to offer them great working environments as well as appropriate conditions of employment, to enhance their loyalty, minimize turnover rates and to attract promising talent.

This empirical study incorporates a responsible HRM construct with extrinsic and intrinsic motivations. It confirms that they are significant antecedents of organizational commitment. Unlike previous research, this contribution focuses on employee psychology as well as on strategic organizational behaviors during a time when tourism businesses are experiencing an increase in demand for their services, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. It raises awareness on the industry’s perennial challenges in attracting and retaining employees.

许多酒店业都面临劳动力短缺。一些酒店和餐馆人手不足。在许多情况下, 他们发现很难留住和招聘有积极性的员工。有鉴于此, 本研究使用与自决理论 (SDT) 相关的关键结构, 并将它们与负责任的人力资源管理 (HRM) 措施相结合, 以调查员工的组织承诺。

主要数据是通过代表酒店员工的热门 LinkedIn 群组分发的在线问卷获取的。利用基于复合材料的结构方程建模方法来确认所选因素的可靠性和有效性, 并阐明该模型的因果路径。

结果表明, 本研究中存在非常显着的直接和间接影响, 特别是在外在动机 - 组织承诺和负责任的 HRM - 组织承诺之间。这些关系由内在动机调节。

这项研究表明, 从业者应该以相称的方式激励和奖励勤奋的员工, 为他们提供良好的工作环境和适当的就业条件, 培养人力资源的忠诚度, 尽量减少他们的离职率, 并吸引有前途的人才。

这一贡献推进了一个强大的负责任的组织行为 (ROB) 模型, 包括负责任的人力资源管理、外在奖励、内在动机和组织承诺。

据作者所知, 没有其他研究将负责任的 HRM 结构与外在和内在动机结合起来, 并将它们视为组织承诺的重要前因。与之前的研究不同, 这篇文章的重点是在冠状病毒 (COVID-19) 大流行之后旅游企业对其服务的需求增加期间的员工心理以及组织行为。它提高了人们对该行业在吸引和留住员工方面长期存在的挑战的认识。

Una gran parte de las empresas hosteleras carecen de personal suficiente y experimentan una grave escasez de mano de obra, en diversos contextos. En muchos casos, los hoteles y restaurantes tienen dificultades para retener y contratar a empleados motivados. En vista de ello, esta investigación utiliza constructos clave relacionados con la teoría de la autodeterminación (TAD) y los integra con una medida de gestión responsable de los recursos humanos (GRH), para investigar el compromiso de la organización de los empleados de hostelería.

Los datos primarios se obtuvieron mediante un cuestionario en línea distribuido a través de grupos populares de LinkedIn que representan a empleados de hostelería. Se utilizó un enfoque de modelización de ecuaciones estructurales basado en compuestos para confirmar la fiabilidad y validez de los factores elegidos y arrojar luz sobre las vías causales del modelo propuesto en esta contribución.

Los resultados indican que en este estudio existen efectos directos e indirectos altamente significativos, en particular entre las motivaciones extrínsecas - el compromiso de la organización y entre la GRH responsable – el compromiso organizacional. Estas relaciones están mediadas por las motivaciones intrínsecas.

Esta contribución avanza un modelo robusto de Comportamiento Organizacional Responsable (ROB) que comprende la GRH responsable, las recompensas extrínsecas, la motivación intrínseca y el compromiso de la organización.

Esta investigación implica que los profesionales deben incentivar y recompensar a los empleados más trabajadores, de forma proporcionada, para ofrecerles entornos de trabajo idóneos, así como condiciones de empleo adecuadas, con el fin de aumentar su lealtad, minimizar las tasas de rotación y atraer a talentos prometedores.

Este estudio empírico incorpora un constructo de GRH responsable con motivaciones extrínsecas e intrínsecas. Confirma que son antecedentes significativos del compromiso de la organización. A diferencia de investigaciones anteriores, esta contribución se centra en la psicología de los empleados, así como en los comportamientos organizativos estratégicos en un momento en el que las empresas turísticas están experimentando un aumento de la demanda de sus servicios, tras la pandemia del coronavirus (COVID-19). Asimismo, sensibiliza sobre los retos perennes de la industria a la hora de atraer y retener a los empleados.

Competitiveness has become essential to business survival. Accordingly, the purpose of this chapter is to study the competitiveness of micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Latin America under the systemic competitiveness model under COVID-19. Documentary research was conducted, based on reports from the Inter-American Development Bank, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the World Bank, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, among others. The main findings reveal an alarming deterioration at the macro, meso, and meta levels, which requires the design of public policies that consider the situation of MSMEs as essential for reducing poverty and unemployment affecting the region. Although MSMEs hold some advantages at the micro level, they need to receive direct support to enable them to stay afloat and make productive and technological investments.

This study describes an alternative way of applying failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) to a wide variety of problems. It presents a methodology based on a decision system supported by qualitative rules which provides a ranking of the risks of potential causes of production system failures. By providing an illustrative example, it highlights the advantages of this flexible system over the traditional FMEA model. Finally, a fuzzy decision model is proposed, which improves the initial decision system by introducing the element of uncertainty.

This paper aims to investigate the relationship of knowledge sharing with unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) and the potential augmenting effects of two factors: employees’ dispositional resistance to change and perceptions of organizational politics.

Quantitative data come from employees in a Mexican manufacturing organization. The hypotheses tests use hierarchical regression analysis.

Knowledge sharing increases the risk that employees engage in UPB. This effect is most salient when employees tend to resist organizational change or believe the organizational climate is highly political.

Organizations should discourage UPB with their ranks, and to do so, they must realize that employees’ likelihood to engage in it may be enhanced by their access to peer knowledge. Employees with such access may feel more confident that they can protect their organization against external scrutiny through such unethical means. This process can be activated by both personal and organizational factors that make UPB appear more desirable.

This study contributes to organizational research by providing a deeper understanding of the risk that employees will engage in UPB, according to the extent of their knowledge sharing. It also explicates when knowledge sharing might have the greatest impact, both for good and for ill.

Este artículo analiza la relación entre compartir conocimiento y el comportamiento pro-organizacional no ético (CPE), así como el potencial efecto amplificador de dos factores: la resistencia al cambio de los empleados y la percepción del clima político de la organización.

Se emplean datos cuantitativos procedentes de los empleados de una organización manufacturera mejicana. Las hipótesis se contrastan utilizando análisis de regresión jerárquico.

Compartir conocimiento aumenta el riesgo de que el empleado desarrolle CPE. Este efecto es mayor cuando los empleados muestran resistencia a los cambios organizativos o creen que el clima organizativo está altamente politizado.

Las organizaciones deben desincentivar el CPE, y para hacerlo deben comprender que la probabilidad de que ocurra aumenta con el acceso al conocimiento de otros compañeros. Los empleados con acceso a este conocimiento pueden percibir que pueden proteger a la organización frente al escrutinio externo por medio de este comportamiento no ético. Este proceso puede activarse tanto por factores personales como organizacionales que hagan la aparición de CPE más deseable.

Este estudio contribuye a la investigación proporcionando una comprensión más profunda del riesgo de que los empleados muestren CPE, en conexión con su grado de conocimiento compartido. También explica cuando compartir conocimiento puede tener un mayor impacto, para bien o para mal.

Este artigo analisa a relação entre compartilhar o conhecimento e comportamento pró-organizacional antiético (CPA), bem como o potencial efeito ampliador de dois fatores: a resistência a mudança de funcionários e a percepção do clima político da organização.

Dados quantitativos são utilizados por funcionários de uma organização de manufatura mexicana. As hipóteses são testadas usando análise de regressão hierárquica.

Resultados – Compartilhar os resultados aumenta o risco de que o funcionário desenvolva o CPA. Esse efeito é maior quando os funcionários mostram resistência às mudanças organizacionais ou acreditam que o clima organizacional é altamente politizado.

As organizações devem desencorajar o CPA, e para isso devem entender que a probabilidade de isso acontecer aumenta com o acesso ao conhecimento de outros colegas. Os funcionários com acesso a esse conhecimento podem perceber que podem proteger a organização do escrutínio externo por meio desse comportamento antiético. Este processo pode ser ativado por fatores pessoais e organizacionais que tornam o surgimento de CPA mais desejável.

Este estudo contribui para a investigação, fornecendo uma compreensão mais profunda do risco que os funcionários exibem CPA, em conexão com o seu grau de conhecimento compartilhado. Também explica quando o compartilhar conhecimento pode ter um impacto maior, para melhor ou para pior.

The knowledge‐based theory argues that the strategy of internal diversification reflects a process of branching‐out, combination and transformation of the organization’s traditional knowledge bases. From this theory, this paper has the purpose to describe the cycles and phases in the process of knowledge creation that lead to the creation of new knowledge and consequently new product and business in a diversified Spanish firm. From the case study findings a theoretical proposition is derived in order to support the theoretical argument of the theory of knowledge creation.

The purpose of this research is to study the effect of organizational innovation, in terms of the introduction of both new business practices and new methods of organizing workplaces, on firm growth, along with the moderating role of the firm size in this relationship.

A panel sample of 4,125 Spanish innovative firms taken from the Technological Innovation Panel for the period 2009 to 2014 was analyzed. Two-Step System-Generalized method of moments approach and instrumental variables approach with two-stage least squares have been used.

The findings remark the positive effect of organizational innovation on firm growth in case firms introduce both new business practices and new methods of organizing workplaces. Furthermore, the empirical evidences show that the firm size has a role, although partial, in moderating negatively the effect of introducing both new business practices and new methods of organizing workplaces on firm growth.

The study adds some new theoretical insights and empirical evidences into the literature related to the inertia theory in the perspective of the population ecology, incorporating it with the effect of firm size. Furthermore, the study may represent a further part of the complex literature puzzle that links organizational innovation to firm growth, and the inclusion of the moderating role of the firm size will partially provide a deeper understanding of this link.

El objetivo de este trabajo es estudiar el efecto de la innovación organizativa, en términos de introducción de nuevas prácticas de negocio, nuevos métodos de organización del trabajo, en el crecimiento empresarial, junto con el papel moderador del tamaño de la empresa.

Se analiza un panel de 4.125 empresas innovadoras españolas pertenecientes al Panel de Innovación Tecnológica (PITEC) para el periodo 2009 - 2014. Se estimaron modelos por GMM en dos etapas y mediante modelos de mínimos cuadrados en dos etapas con variables instrumentales.

Los resultados subrayan el efecto positivo de la innovación organizativa en el crecimiento empresarial en el caso en el que la empresa introduzca nuevas prácticas de negocio y de organización del trabajo. Más aún, el tamaño de la empresa también juega un papel, aunque parcial, moderando negativamente los anteriores efectos principales.

El estudio aporta nuevos ideas teóricas y evidencia empírica a la literatura relacionada con la teoría de la inercia en la perspectiva de la ecología de las poblaciones, incorporando el efecto del tamaño de la empresa. Es más, el estudio representa un paso más en la compleja literatura que ha vinculado la innovación organizativa con el crecimiento empresarial. La incorporación del papel moderador del tamaño de la empresa puede ayudar a entender mejor esta última conexión.

Innovación organizativa, Nuevas prácticas de negocio, Nuevos métodos de organización del trabajo, Crecimiento empresarial, Tamaño empresarial, España

Revisión general

O objetivo desta pesquisa é estudar o efeito da inovação organizacional, em termos da introdução de novas práticas de negócios e novos métodos de organização em locais de trabalho, no crescimento da empresa, juntamente com o papel moderador do tamanho da empresa nessa relação.

Se analizou uma amostra de painel de 4.125 empresas inovadoras espanholas retiradas do Painel de Inovação Tecnológica (PITEC) durante o período de 2009 a 2014. Foram usadas a abordagem do Sistema GMM em duas etapas e a abordagem IV com 2SLS.

Os resultados mostram o efeito positivo da inovação organizacional sobre o crescimento da empresa, no caso das empresas introduzirem novas práticas de negócios e novos métodos de organização nos locais de trabalho. Além disso, as evidências empíricas mostram que o tamanho da empresa tem um papel, ainda que parcial, de moderar negativamente o efeito de introduzir novas práticas de negócios e novos métodos de organização dos locais de trabalho no crescimento das empresas.

O estudo acrescenta alguns novos conhecimentos teóricos e evidências empíricas à literatura relacionada à teoria da inércia na perspectiva da ecologia populacional, incorporando-a ao efeito do tamanho da empresa. Além disso, o estudo pode representar mais uma parte do complexo quebra-cabeça da literatura que liga a inovação organizacional ao crescimento da empresa e a inclusão do papel moderador do tamanho da empresa que fornecerá, em parte, uma compreensão mais profunda desse elo.

Inovação organizacional, Novas práticas de negócios, Novos métodos de organização de locais de trabalho, Crescimento da empresa, Tamanho da empresa, Espanha

Revisão geral

The aim of this study is to analyze the capitals moved in decisions about sustainability in narratives from and referring to Samarco Minerações, S.A. under a perspective guided by Bourdieusian sociology.

Oriented by historicist ontology and historical epistemology, this research is classified as qualitative, descriptive and documentary, with narrative analysis and case study. The selected organization-case was Samarco Minerações, S.A. The documentary sources considered were sustainability reports, social networks channels and news published in Brazilian newspapers of high circulation. The collected information was submitted to the narrative analysis method.

Samarco Minerações, S.A. maintained the sustainability posture before and after the ore tailings dam rupture. The decision models adopted (decentralized) and the moved capitals (economic and technological) after the ecocide revealed a change in the organizational practices in front of a new instability scenario, and the organization’s attempt to reach acknowledgment, legitimacy and power.

The organization was selected because of its involvement in an ecocide. The crime generated economic (suspension of tax collection caused by the organizational inactivity), social (unemployment and deaths) and environmental (iron ore tailings contaminated the region’s ecosystem) impacts.

The greatest value and contribution this paper offers is an alternative intermediary methodological approach using Bourdieusian micro-sociology to analyze narratives based on capitals dynamics and doxa. This theoretical and methodological approach can prove fruitful for further research in sustainability studies on other topics, and even in other fields.

Analisar, bajo orientación de la sociología bourdieusiana los capitales movidos en decisiones sobre sustentabilidade, desde narrativas referentes a Samarco Minerações S.A.

Orientado por una ontología historicista y epistemología histórica, esa pesquisa se clasifica como: cualitativa, descriptiva y documental, con el analisis de narrativa y estudio de caso. La organización elegida fue Samarco Minerações S.A. Las fuentes documentales fueron: informes de sustentabilidad, canales en redes sociales y notícias publicadas en periódicos brasileños de gran circulación. Las informaciones recogidas fueron sometidas al método de analisis narrativa.

La Samarco Minerações S.A. mantuvo la postura de sustentabilidad antes y después del rompimiento de la represa. Los modelos de decisiones adoptados (descentralizado) y los capitales manejados (económico y tecnológico) después el ecocidio, revelaron un cambio en las prácticas organizacionales frente una escena de instabilidad, y el intento de la organización de alcanzar reconocimiento, legitimidad y poder.

La organización fue elegida por su participación en un ecocidio. El crimen generó impactos económicos (interrupción de recaudación de los impuestos causado por la inaticvidad organizacional), impacto social (desempleo y muertes), impacto ambiental (desechos de minério del hierro contaminarón al ecosistema de la región).

El principal valor y contribución que el artículo ofrece es un enfoque metodológico intermedio y alternativo que se utiliza de la microsociología bourdieusiana para analisar narrativas basadas en la dinamica de los capitales y de la doxa. El enfoque teorico metodológico puede ser benéfico para las nuevas pesquisas en los estudios de sustentabilidad, de las narrativas, en otros temas y hasta mismo en otros campos.

Analisar, sob orientação da sociologia bourdieusiana, os capitais movimentados em decisões sobre sustentabilidade, a partir de narrativas da e referentes à Samarco Minerações S.A.

Orientada por uma ontologia historicista e epistemologia histórica, essa pesquisa classifica-se como: qualitativa, descritiva e documental, com análise de narrativa e estudo de caso. A organização selecionada foi a Samarco Minerações S.A. As fontes documentais foram: relatórios de sustentabilidade, canais em redes sociais e notícias publicadas em jornais brasileiros de grande circulação. As informações coletadas foram submetidas ao método de análise narrativa.

A Samarco Minerações S.A. manteve a postura de sustentabilidade antes e após o rompimento da barragem. Os modelos de decisão adotados (descentralizado) e os capitais movimentados (econômico e tecnológico) após o ecocídio, revelaram uma mudança nas práticas organizacionais diante de um cenário de instabilidade, e a tentativa da organização de alcançar reconhecimento, legitimidade e poder.

A organização foi selecionada por seu envolvimento em um ecocídio. O crime gerou impacto econômicos (suspensão de arrecadação de impostos causada pela inatividade organizacional), impacto social (desempregos e mortes), impacto ambiental (rejeitos de minério de ferro contaminaram o ecossistema da região).

O principal valor e contribuição que o artigo oferece é uma abordagem metodológica intermediária e alternativa que se utiliza da microssociologia bourdieusiana para analisar narrativas baseadas na dinâmica dos capitais e da doxa. A abordagem teórico-metodológica pode ser benéfica para novas pesquisas em estudos de sustentabilidade, de narrativas, em outros temas e até mesmo em outros campos.

The aim of this paper is to determine the main reasons that lead to information systems outsourcing, the reservations that are initially present in front of this kind of contract and the factors considered necessary for the success of outsourcing in the case of Spanish public universities. With this aim, a survey has been made among information systems managers in those universities. The results show the possibility of establishing a typology of universities depending on the position they have adopted with respect to outsourcing.

The purpose of this paper is to further explore the relationship between several dimensions of human resource (HR) flexibility and firm performance by introducing two moderator effects: inter-organizational cooperation and environmental changes. There is need for such studies because the relationship between HR flexibility and firm performance remains ambiguous and inconclusive. Whereas some theoretical perspectives and empirical evidences suggest the need to develop and support full-time and permanent employees, others argue that flexible labour relations are beneficial to firm performance. One of the reasons that could explain the lack of conclusive evidences is the scarce use of moderator effects.

Research hypotheses are tested by structural equation analysis with data from a sample of 156 Spanish companies from different sectors.

The results confirm the positive influence of internal HR flexibility on firm performance whereas the influence of external flexibility depends of each dimension in relation to the level of knowledge involved. However, the main finding is that environmental changes and cooperation moderate positively the relationship between functional flexibility and financial performance, as well as between external high skilled expertise and performance (at total level and its subcategories) which focus the importance of flexibility in their contribution to accessing and deploying knowledge into the firm.

Main limitations are the small sample size, the use of cross-sectional data and a structured questionnaire. Longitudinal studies and larger samples should test the causal relationships suggested by the results of the paper. The assessment of flexibility at the enterprise level could also be extended in future studies at the network level since some firms may obtain functional and numerical flexibility through its relationships with other companies in networks. The study of the relationships between different combinations of flexible work and firm performance, considering different groups of employees, could follow from the recommendations of moderator effects found in this research.

Executives need to consider how the different units in the organizational structure interface with the contextual environmental, and they also need to understand the performance implications of different HR flexibility practices because their implications may change according to the exogenous business environment. The authors have found that the contribution of high skilled expertise from consulting/contracting firms is going to be more important than the contribution of short-term hires and temporary agency workers. Experts from outside not only bring knowledge of industry best practices into the firm that supports the innovative output, but they can also contribute to improve financial and relational performance. The results also suggest that external high skilled expertise may be more beneficial to the firm in highly changing environments than in more stable environments.

Two are the main contributions of the paper: first, it analyses the influence of a comprehensive group of HR flexible practices on three different dimensions of firm performance which helps to understand in greater detail the causal mechanisms that link HR flexibility and firm performance in comparison to other studies that are more focused on singular flexible practices and measures of firm performance; and second, the paper analyses the moderator effect of both environmental dynamism and inter-organizational cooperation, which advances the theoretical understanding of flexibility and firm performance by studying different scenarios of HR flexibilities with these two moderators. The results of the paper could help managers to take advantage of different combinations of flexibility dimensions according to contingent situations and in order to improve firm performance.