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With the trend toward implementing flexible strategies to channel management, the network sources of flexibility have received increased attention. This study aims to reveal the dynamic mechanisms underlying the relationship between a distribution network and two types of flexibility: adaptive and proactive.

The authors apply agent-based modeling to simulate a three-level distribution network. First, a program of 14 segmentations across 4 stages is developed using NetLogo software. Using data on Company X’s distribution network, the authors simulate a distribution network when either adaptive or proactive flexibility is implemented and compare the performance outcomes of the distribution network. Finally, by using the database generated from an experiment designed with BehaviorSpace, the authors conduct a general linear regression analysis to analyze the effect of network structure on the performance of the distribution network.

The authors find that the implementation of adaptive flexibility is connected with a higher level of trust and a lower level of inventory, whereas the implementation of proactive flexibility is associated with a higher level of satisfaction but a higher level of inventory. Also, this study’s analyses show that adaptive flexibility emphasizes short-term efficiency, whereas proactive flexibility put more emphasis on long-term effectiveness. In addition, the authors find that network structure has a significant effect on the distribution network by influencing inventory, satisfaction and trust.

Theoretically, this study’s results further develop the research on channel management by revealing the interaction between distribution networks and two types of flexibility from a dynamic (rather than static) perspective. Also, the findings help in explaining how network structure can affect the performance of a distribution network. In practice, the results also guide the focal firm in distribution channels to make strategic decisions between adaptive and proactive flexibility to improve channel performance.

Supply chain flexibility is crucial for firms to respond to uncertain circumstances caused by environmental factors, such as the diversity of customer demands, problems of product safety, and adjustments of industrial policies. To investigate the approach to enhance supply chain flexibility, the purpose of this paper is to propose that both internal and external information integration contribute to reactive and proactive supply chain flexibilities, which elicit high operational performance.

Using a sample of 84 food companies that have been listed three years in China and content analysis based on their annual reports, evidence was collected to test the hypotheses through hierarchical regressions.

The results reveal that external information integration results in both reactive and proactive flexibilities, which further improve operational performance. Internal information integration positively affects both reactive and proactive flexibilities, but its mediating role was not determined in the study.

The research provides insights into how supply chain flexibility mediates the effect of supply chain information integration on operational performance in the context of the Chinese food industry.

The purpose of the current study was to assess the impact of information technology on strategic flexibility for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Results of the study show that under conditions of low environmental dynamism, IT capabilities are associated with greater reactive strategic flexibility. Specifically, IT capabilities enabling the management of internal activities was significant. Under conditions of high environmental dynamism, IT capabilities are associated with greater proactive strategic flexibility. Specifically, IT capabilities enabling the management of competitor information was significant. Managerial as well as future research implications are discussed.

Drawing from the workplace flexibility and coping literatures, the purpose of this paper is to re-conceptualize the workplace flexibility construct as a coping resource that may help prevent work-interferes-with-family (WIF) from arising and/or assist employees manage such interference when it has occurred. A measure capturing this re-conceptualized view of flexibility is developed and tested using two samples of dual-income employees with dependent care demands.

In Study 1, the authors use LISERL to develop and test a new multi-dimensional measure of workplace flexibility (n₁=6,659). In Study 2 (n₂=947), the authors use partial least squares, a component-based structural equation modeling technique, to test a model that posits workplace flexibility that helps employees cope with WIF.

This research provides support for the idea that workplace flexibility helps employees cope with WIF by: preventing interference (i.e. negatively moderating the relationship between work hours and WIF), and managing interference that has occurred (i.e. negatively moderating relationship between WIF and perceived stress).

This study highlights the complexity of the relationship between workplace flexibility and work-to-family interference and offers guidelines on how employers and employees can use the workplace flexibility measure developed in this study.

The purpose of this paper is to reconcile two different perspectives on manufacturing flexibility found in the operations management literature.

Conceptual in nature, the paper examines manufacturing flexibility from the perspective of the resource‐based view of the firm as a complement to the competitive positioning view of strategic management. It draws upon both these views to better understand the role of manufacturing flexibility in firms.

The paper emphasizes the proactive use of manufacturing flexibility, as a means to create opportunities, in addition to its reactive use in response to environmental uncertainties. The integration of the resource‐based and competitive positioning views has implications for researchers in explaining inter‐firm performance differences and for practitioners in incorporating the role of manufacturing flexibility in their strategic thinking.

The integration of these two theories should be empirically tested to provide a better understanding of the conditions under which alternative use is more critical in explaining a firm's success.

Manufacturing has been traditionally viewed as a reactive tool to adjust to environmental uncertainties. The paper argues that this approach is too narrow and emphasizes the proactive role of manufacturing flexibility as a competitive weapon in strategy formulation.

The paper suggests that the integration of the resource‐based and competitive positioning allows for a more complete picture of the role of manufacturing flexibility in creating a competitive advantage.

The purpose of this paper is to address an important question which centres on investigating how do manufacturing businesses perceive and understand the concepts of agility and flexibility in their supply chains (SCs).

A case study approach was utilised and data were gathered from semi-structured interviews with ten organisations in the Australian manufacturing sector. Data analysis was conducted using analytic techniques based on, for example, pattern matching and cross-case synthesis.

Findings confirmed that there is some ambiguity concerning the understanding of the terms agile and flexible, both within and between organisations. The implications are that there is often little consistency in the way the terms are operationalised and then applied. In this regard, and to inform future research, the paper offers empirically grounded definitions for SC agility and flexibility. Moreover, four propositions are developed and discussed which shed light on the dynamics of agility and flexibility in the SC.

This is one of the first empirical studies to address some of the apparent inconsistencies between organisational applications of agility and flexibility, and their impact on SC operations.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the underlying relationships between entrepreneurial orientation and supply chain flexibility (SCF) in a market characterised by several uncertainties.

The study applies an explanatory sequential mixed method, in which an analytical approach is proposed and validated to establish the underlying relationships between environmental uncertainties, SCF, and entrepreneurial orientation. Thereafter, a focus group study is carried out to explain the findings of a case study analysis.

The study evaluates and prioritises dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation to develop SCF in a market characterised by several environmental uncertainties. It also develops a structured, effective, and flexible methodological approach to establish the relationships between environmental uncertainty, SCF, and entrepreneurial orientation.

The study is limited to a single firm; therefore, the use of larger sample size can improve its generalisability.

Supply chain practitioners should emphasise on innovative culture to support SCF. The study also proposes an analytical approach to improve flexibility in the supply chain.

The study contributes to the area of interdisciplinary research by developing an integrated analytical approach that identifies and brings together concepts that existed in the disparate form in supply chain, flexibility, and entrepreneurship literature.

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the role of organizational culture in creating a supportive environment for business model innovation (BMI) by focusing on the mediating role of strategic flexibility and the moderating effect of technological capability.

To achieve this objective an empirical survey was conducted among 379 participant firms in Greece. CFA and finally hierarchical regression analysis were performed to validate the data and examine the hypothesized relationships.

The results show that strategic flexibility mediates the relationship between organizational culture and BMI. The effect of organizational culture on strategic flexibility is stronger for firms with increased technological capability.

Data were collected at only one point in time from one country, Greece. This might pose limitations on the generalizability of our results. Furthermore, we did not explore many internal or external mediating or moderating factors in the relationship between organizational culture and BMI.

Managers should consider incorporating a suitable organizational culture into their strategies to enable them improve their strategic flexibility, which further promotes BMI.

The current state of knowledge of both theory and practice for critical organizational factors such as organizational culture, strategic flexibility, BMI and technological capability will be extended.

The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of the main challenges of the contracting process and project contracts in the context of project business characterized by a high level of complexity and uncertainty. The authors argue that understanding contracting as a flexible process and as a business tool will contribute to creating more value in projects which are implemented in constantly changing circumstances or which require gradual and iterative development.

This is a conceptual paper with illustrative examples from the software industry.

A prevailing approach for both managing contracts and the contracting process focuses on careful planning and drafting of contracts that protect each party in the case of conflicts and disagreements. The underlying assumption is that all activities can be planned and documented in a formal contract. According to this approach, the contracting process is seen only as a bargaining negotiation and the project contract as a detailed agreement of the responsibilities and safeguarding clauses to protect one’s position in the event of conflicts and failures. However, in the context of project business characterized by complexity and uncertainty, there is a need for flexible project contracts. The authors suggest that there are two fundamentally different approaches to implementing flexibility in both the contracting process and the project contract: postponing the decision until there is adequate information for decision making or making decisions that allow flexible adaptation to changes during the project lifecycle.

The authors suggest that organizations in project business should pay closer attention to how contracts are formed and how flexibility is introduced to projects. Organizations are encouraged to see contracts as a business tool, not as rigid documents which are taken into use in case something goes wrong.

This paper contributes to the understanding of how to adapt the contracting process to overcome challenges related to uncertainty, especially during the early phases of the project lifecycle. The authors provide a novel perspective on contracting as a process that extends over the lifecycle of a project and on the project contract as an agreement between parties formed during the contracting process. This perspective includes formal contract documents as well as various other documents, oral communication, commitments, actions and incidents.

The purpose of this study is to build a theory on management investigating the relationship between organizational culture and strategic flexibility in firms, and how this relationship is affected through industry 4.0 capabilities and the market orientation of firms.

As a methodological approach, this paper uses a rich combination of literature review and exploratory interviews with managers and academics. Data were collected from 379 industrial managers; confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and finally structural equation modeling (SEM) were performed to validate the data and examine the hypothesized relationships.

The results show that organizational culture drives firms to strategic flexibility, but the introduction of industry 4.0 capabilities and market orientation fully mediate this relationship, revealing their significance to strategic flexibility.

All the respondents of the study's dataset were from Greek firms; the role of national culture should be considered. Moreover, the comprehension of I4.0 is a quite recent concept that is still being formulated, this feature may modify the results of future studies.

Managers should allocate resources for the concurrent adoption of digital technologies capabilities and suitable market-oriented strategies in order for them to be key drivers for enhanced strategic flexibility.

The current state of knowledge of both theory and practise for critical organizational factors such as organizational culture, strategic flexibility, industry 4.0 capabilities and market orientation will be extended.