IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/intemj/v19y2023i2d10.1007_s11365-022-00820-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

What drives strategic agility? Evidence from a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (FsQCA)

Author

Listed:
  • Enrique de Diego Ruiz

    (Complutense University of Madrid)

  • Paloma Almodóvar

    (Complutense University of Madrid)

  • Ignacio Danvila del Valle

    (Complutense University of Madrid)

Abstract

Strategic agility is a topic that has not reached maturity and is of increasing interest for companies and academics alike. Yet few studies assess what drives strategic agility in organisations. This paper aims to review how companies are currently obtaining strategic agility and to identify the individual factors and configurations that lead to it. The study draws on a survey carried out with 40 Spanish companies in the services sector. The study then uses Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) to identify the different configurations of factors that lead to strategic agility. Finally, we complement QCA analysis by performing a case study for each of the configurations that lead to strategic agility. The study reveals that there is no necessary condition to reach strategic agility and that companies reach it in five main ways, depending on different combinations of six factors: firm size, firm age, whether the firm is international, whether it competes in a turbulent environment, and whether the firm invests in i) capabilities and technologies, and ii) additional revenue models or cost-cutting mechanisms or not.

Suggested Citation

  • Enrique de Diego Ruiz & Paloma Almodóvar & Ignacio Danvila del Valle, 2023. "What drives strategic agility? Evidence from a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (FsQCA)," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 599-627, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:intemj:v:19:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1007_s11365-022-00820-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s11365-022-00820-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11365-022-00820-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11365-022-00820-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Morris, Michael & Schindehutte, Minet & Allen, Jeffrey, 2005. "The entrepreneur's business model: toward a unified perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 58(6), pages 726-735, June.
    2. Stewart Thornhill & Raphael Amit, 2003. "Learning About Failure: Bankruptcy, Firm Age, and the Resource-Based View," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(5), pages 497-509, October.
    3. Robert Salomon & Byungchae Jin, 2010. "Do leading or lagging firms learn more from exporting?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(10), pages 1088-1113, October.
    4. Ho, Joanne & Plewa, Carolin & Lu, Vinh Nhat, 2016. "Examining strategic orientation complementarity using multiple regression analysis and fuzzy set QCA," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(6), pages 2199-2205.
    5. Ambituuni, Ambisisi & Azizsafaei, Farzaneh & Keegan, Anne, 2021. "HRM operational models and practices to enable strategic agility in PBOs: Managing paradoxical tensions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 170-182.
    6. Frambach, Ruud T. & Fiss, Peer C. & Ingenbleek, Paul T.M., 2016. "How important is customer orientation for firm performance? A fuzzy set analysis of orientations, strategies, and environments," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(4), pages 1428-1436.
    7. Paloma Almodóvar & Javier Saiz-Briones & Brian Silverman, 2014. "Learning through foreign market participation: the relative benefits of exporting, importing, and foreign direct investment," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 39(6), pages 915-944, December.
    8. Ciravegna, Luciano & Kuivalainen, Olli & Kundu, Sumit K. & Lopez, Luis E., 2018. "The antecedents of early internationalization: A configurational perspective," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(6), pages 1200-1212.
    9. Claudio Loderer & René Stulz & Urs Waelchli, 2017. "Firm Rigidities and the Decline in Growth Opportunities," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 63(9), pages 3000-3020, September.
    10. Marcel van Oosterhout & Eric Waarts & Jos van Hillegersberg, 2006. "Change factors requiring agility and implications for IT," European Journal of Information Systems, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(2), pages 132-145, April.
    11. Woodside, Arch G., 2014. "Embrace•perform•model: Complexity theory, contrarian case analysis, and multiple realities," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(12), pages 2495-2503.
    12. Enrique de Diego & Paloma Almodóvar, 2021. "Mapping research trends on strategic agility over the past 25 years: insights from a bibliometric approach," European Journal of Management and Business Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 31(2), pages 219-238, September.
    13. Schneider, Carsten Q., 2018. "Realists and Idealists in QCA," Political Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 26(2), pages 246-254, April.
    14. Shams, Riad & Vrontis, Demetris & Belyaeva, Zhanna & Ferraris, Alberto & Czinkota, Michael R., 2021. "Strategic agility in international business: A conceptual framework for “agile” multinationals," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(1).
    15. Robert M. Salomon & J. Myles Shaver, 2005. "Learning by Exporting: New Insights from Examining Firm Innovation," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(2), pages 431-460, June.
    16. Douglas, Evan J. & Shepherd, Dean A. & Prentice, Catherine, 2020. "Using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis for a finer-grained understanding of entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 35(1).
    17. Alex Coad & Jacob Rubæk Holm & Jackie Krafft & Francesco Quatraro, 2018. "Firm age and performance," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 28(1), pages 1-11, January.
    18. Pappas, Ilias O. & Woodside, Arch G., 2021. "Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA): Guidelines for research practice in Information Systems and marketing," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    19. David J. Teece & Gary Pisano & Amy Shuen, 1997. "Dynamic capabilities and strategic management," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(7), pages 509-533, August.
    20. Almodóvar, Paloma & Nguyen, Quyen T.K. & Verbeke, Alain, 2021. "An integrative approach to international inbound sources of firm-level innovation," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 56(3).
    21. Pappas, Ilias O. & Kourouthanassis, Panos E. & Giannakos, Michail N. & Chrissikopoulos, Vassilios, 2016. "Explaining online shopping behavior with fsQCA: The role of cognitive and affective perceptions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 794-803.
    22. Rego, Lopo & Brady, Michael & Leone, Robert & Roberts, John & Srivastava, Chandra & Srivastava, Rajendra, 2022. "Brand response to environmental turbulence: A framework and propositions for resistance, recovery and reinvention," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 583-602.
    23. Demir, Robert & Campopiano, Giovanna & Kruckenhauser, Christian & Bauer, Florian, 2021. "Strategic agility, internationalisation speed and international success — The role of coordination mechanisms and growth modes," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(1).
    24. Patrick Spieth & Sabrina Schneider, 2016. "Business model innovativeness: designing a formative measure for business model innovation," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 86(6), pages 671-696, August.
    25. Yan Shi & Bo Zou & Roberto S. Santos, 2021. "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: How do academic entrepreneurs deal with identity conflict?," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(8), pages 2165-2191, November.
    26. Wayne S. DeSarbo & C. Anthony Di Benedetto & Michael Song & Indrajit Sinha, 2005. "Revisiting the Miles and Snow strategic framework: uncovering interrelationships between strategic types, capabilities, environmental uncertainty, and firm performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(1), pages 47-74, January.
    27. Stav Fainshmidt & Michael A Witt & Ruth V Aguilera & Alain Verbeke, 2020. "The contributions of qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to international business research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(4), pages 455-466, June.
    28. Alain Verbeke & Luciano Ciravegna & Luis E. Lopez & Sumit K. Kundu, 2019. "Five Configurations of Opportunism in International Market Entry," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(7), pages 1287-1313, November.
    29. Shin, Hojung & Lee, Jae-Nam & Kim, DaeSoo & Rhim, Hosun, 2015. "Strategic agility of Korean small and medium enterprises and its influence on operational and firm performance," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 181-196.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Bryan N. Zambrano Manzur & Fabián A. Espinoza Bazán & Pavel Novoa-Hernández & Carlos Cruz Corona, 2024. "In what ways do AI techniques propel decision-making amidst volatility? Annotated bibliography perspectives," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 1-24, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Enrique de Diego Ruiz & Paloma Almodóvar & Julian Birkinshaw, 2024. "The effects of a firm’s internationalization, age, and environmental turbulence on the capabilities that comprise strategic agility," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 1935-1961, September.
    2. Noemí Pérez-Macías & Cayetano Medina-Molina & José L. Fernández-Fernández, 2024. "To be or not to be… an entrepreneur. The existence and non-existence of entrepreneurial intention in people with disabilities through qualitative comparative analysis," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 1759-1822, September.
    3. Gabay-Mariani, Laetitia & Paillé, Pascal & Valéau, Patrick, 2023. "The long-term persistence among nascent entrepreneurs: An fsQCA analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    4. Almodóvar, Paloma & Nguyen, Quyen T.K., 2022. "Product innovation of domestic firms versus foreign MNE subsidiaries: The role of external knowledge sources," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    5. Marisol Carvajal-Camperos & Paloma Almodóvar & Ignacio Danvila-del-Valle, 2024. "Examining the conditions for signing a strategic alliance contract: a configurational approach to the biotechnology sector," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 44-68, February.
    6. Yoruk, Deniz E. & Bunduchi, Raluca & Yoruk, Esin & Crișan-Mitra, Catalina & Salanță, Irina-Iulia & Crișan, Emil Lucian, 2021. "Pathways to innovation in Romanian software SMEs: Exploring the impact of interdependencies between internationalisation and knowledge sources," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(4).
    7. Emily Bacon & Michael D. Williams & Gareth H. Davies, 2023. "On the Combinatory Nature of Knowledge Transfer Conditions: A Mixed Method Assessment," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 25(3), pages 1039-1061, June.
    8. Alyahya, Mansour & Agag, Gomaa & Aliedan, Meqbel & Abdelmoety, Ziad Hassan & Daher, Maya Mostafa, 2023. "A sustainable step forward: Understanding factors affecting customers’ behaviour to purchase remanufactured products," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    9. Jianghua Zhou & Zixu Liu & Jizhen Li & Gupeng Zhang, 2021. "Foreign equity, exporting and firm innovation: an emerging market perspective," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 46(3), pages 606-628, June.
    10. Navarro-García, Antonio & Ledesma-Chaves, Pablo & Gil-Cordero, Eloy & De-Juan-Vigaray, María Dolores, 2024. "Intangible resources, static and dynamic capabilities and perceived competitive advantage in exporting firms. A PLS-SEM/fsQCA approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    11. Yanan Li & Sid Terason, 2023. "Configuring the Pattern of Sustainable Tourism Development as Affected by the Construction of a High-Speed Railway System," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(3), pages 21582440231, July.
    12. Marie Romuald Pouka Pouka & Viviane Ondoua Biwolé, 2024. "Does causal analysis improve the understanding of entrepreneurial support for SME performance?," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 14(1), pages 1-15, December.
    13. Eastman, Jacqueline K. & Shin, Hyunju & Jain, Varsha & Wang, Xinfang, 2024. "Determinants of positive consumer affect toward luxury brands’ social media posts on sustainability: A fsQCA approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    14. Jafari-Sadeghi, Vahid & Amoozad Mahdiraji, Hannan & Busso, Donatella & Yahiaoui, Dorra, 2022. "Towards agility in international high-tech SMEs: Exploring key drivers and main outcomes of dynamic capabilities," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    15. Almodóvar, Paloma & Nguyen, Quyen T.K. & Verbeke, Alain, 2021. "An integrative approach to international inbound sources of firm-level innovation," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 56(3).
    16. Espeche, José Francisco Tragant & Sacristán-Navarro, María & Zúñiga-Vicente, José Ángel & Crespo, Nuno Fernandes, 2023. "Innovation and internationalisation during times of economic growth, crisis, and recovery prior to Covid-19: A configurational approach comparing Spanish manufacturing family and non-family firms," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 14(1).
    17. Kumar, Satish & Sahoo, Saumyaranjan & Lim, Weng Marc & Kraus, Sascha & Bamel, Umesh, 2022. "Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) in business and management research: A contemporary overview," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    18. Vuorio, Anna & Torkkeli, Lasse, 2023. "Dynamic managerial capability portfolios in early internationalising firms," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(1).
    19. Gupta, Samrat & Deodhar, Swanand J. & Tiwari, Amit Anand & Gupta, Manjul & Mariani, Marcello, 2024. "How consumers evaluate movies on online platforms? Investigating the role of consumer engagement and external engagement," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    20. Smallbone, David & Saridakis, George & Abubakar, Yazid Abdullahi, 2022. "Internationalisation as a stimulus for SME innovation in developing economies: Comparing SMEs in factor-driven and efficiency-driven economies," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 1305-1319.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:intemj:v:19:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1007_s11365-022-00820-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.