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Using a soft-hard continuum of drivers and barriers, this research seeks to explain wood companies' adoption of circular economy (CE) practices.

Multiple interviews, complemented by secondary documents and site observations were used to investigate three wood-based companies that have adopted CE practices. The 10R framework and soft-hard continuum are used to guide data analysis.

The adoption of 10R practices were explained by soft-factor incentives of leaders' values and vision and openness for innovation, all within a regulatory void, and eventually overcome hard-factor barriers of process development, supply chain capability and customer behaviours at product end-of-life.

Crucial for CE model adoption are leaders' positive attitudes, subsequently grown across the companies. The 10Rs are a prompt for CE practice adoption to capture and retain value and generate revenue. Collaboration across the supply chain, including customers and other value capture companies (e.g. repurposing companies), is essential to maximise value retention. Government should play an increased soft-factor incentive regulatory role and support CE practices to overcome hard-factor barriers.

This study contributes an explanation of CE adoption within a relatively unsupported context. Despite the regulatory void, CE practice adoption was driven by leader values. To achieve their vision and overcome the numerous barriers, suppliers and customers required a large investment in education. Indeed, customer behaviour, previously thought to be an incentive for CE adoption, is also identified as a barrier.

This study empirically analyzes the direct impacts of soft quality management practices (SQMP) and market orientation ambidexterity (MOA) on product innovation ambidexterity (PIA). It also examines the mediating role of MOA in the relationship between SQMP and PIA.

Following a quantitative research methodology, a well-structured questionnaire is used to collect data from 130 Moroccan certified ISO 9001 firms. The conceptual framework of the study was tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling.

The results show that SQMP have no significant association with PIA while they positively and significantly impact MOA. The study also revealed that MOA has a positive and significant impact on PIA and fully mediates the relationship between SQMP and PIA.

Due to the conceptualization of MOA and PIA as combined ambidexterity, the results of the study might be different in the case of balanced ambidexterity.

To achieve PIA, managers need to be aware that implementing SQMP, while important, is not enough. They must invest sufficient resources to properly implement these practices to support MOA. Consequently, MOA will lead their organization to PIA by establishing the significant impact of SQMP on PIA.

Regardless of the abundant literature on the relationship between quality management (QM) practices and innovation, this study is among the first to examine the impact of SQMP on PIA. Using MOA as a mediator can give a meaningful answer to the indecisive empirical results of the impact of QM on innovation. Furthermore, this research contributes to the scarce literature on relevant studies conducted in developing countries.