IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/intman/v27y2021i1s1075425320300351.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Strategic agility in international business: A conceptual framework for “agile” multinationals

Author

Listed:
  • Shams, Riad
  • Vrontis, Demetris
  • Belyaeva, Zhanna
  • Ferraris, Alberto
  • Czinkota, Michael R.

Abstract

Strategic agility is a fuzzy concept that may be counter intuitive as well as confounding to some scholars in terms of the agile strategies' contextual issues. At the same time, the need to be agile is crucial for firms, especially for Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) that operate in culturally different host countries. Thus, a deep understanding of strategic agility is very intriguing for both academics and executives, as several gaps are apparent in the extant literature. In this paper, we review mainstream studies on agility in the international business context, discussing its relevance and proposing main aspects of strategic agility to clarify further this indistinct concept. Moreover, we provide a novel conceptual framework based on the integration of agility in different operational areas (e.g. Information Technology, supply chain and production) that organizations should foster to become an “agile multinational”. Our synthesis represents an innovative strategic direction for MNEs to understand better strategic agility, which clearly extends the concept of flexibility, while managing stakeholder relationships in order to develop key dynamic capabilities. Finally, we also discuss the main contributions of the other articles included in this special issue, thus providing specific examples of agility in well debated IB contexts (e.g., emerging markets). We also suggest some future research areas for this complex and ambiguous concept.

Suggested Citation

  • 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).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:intman:v:27:y:2021:i:1:s1075425320300351
    DOI: 10.1016/j.intman.2020.100737
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1075425320300351
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.intman.2020.100737?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. Quyen T K Nguyen & Alan M Rugman, 2015. "Internal equity financing and the performance of multinational subsidiaries in emerging economies," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 46(4), pages 468-490, May.
    2. Chen, Dong & Newburry, William & Park, Seung Ho, 2009. "Improving sustainability: An international evolutionary framework," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 15(3), pages 317-327, September.
    3. Rialti, Riccardo & Zollo, Lamberto & Ferraris, Alberto & Alon, Ilan, 2019. "Big data analytics capabilities and performance: Evidence from a moderated multi-mediation model," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    4. Alkis Thrassou & Demetris Vrontis & Stefano Bresciani, 2018. "The Agile Innovation Pendulum: Family Business Innovation and the Human, Social, and Marketing Capitals," International Studies of Management & Organization, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(1), pages 88-104, January.
    5. Sharp, J. M. & Irani, Z. & Desai, S., 1999. "Working towards agile manufacturing in the UK industry," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(1-2), pages 155-169, May.
    6. Ikujiro Nonaka, 1994. "A Dynamic Theory of Organizational Knowledge Creation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 5(1), pages 14-37, February.
    7. Vadim V. Krivorotov & Alexey V. Kalina & Zhanna S. Belyaeva & Sergey Ye Erypalov, 2016. "Optimisation model for industrial complex competitiveness: a path to sustainable innovation process," World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 12(2/3), pages 254-269.
    8. David J. Teece, 2007. "Explicating dynamic capabilities: the nature and microfoundations of (sustainable) enterprise performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(13), pages 1319-1350, December.
    9. Saonee Sarker & Suprateek Sarker, 2009. "Exploring Agility in Distributed Information Systems Development Teams: An Interpretive Study in an Offshoring Context," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 20(3), pages 440-461, September.
    10. Parente, Ronaldo C. & Baack, Daniel W. & Hahn, Eugene D., 2011. "The effect of supply chain integration, modular production, and cultural distance on new product development: A dynamic capabilities approach," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 278-290.
    11. Lin, Ching-Torng & Chiu, Hero & Chu, Po-Young, 2006. "Agility index in the supply chain," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(2), pages 285-299, April.
    12. 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.
    13. Sarah Birrell Ivory & Simon Bentley Brooks, 2018. "Managing Corporate Sustainability with a Paradoxical Lens: Lessons from Strategic Agility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(2), pages 347-361, March.
    14. Alan M. Rugman & Alain Verbeke, 2012. "A new perspective on the regional and global strategies of multinational services firms," Chapters, in: Handbook of Research on International Strategic Management, chapter 13, pages 257-270, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    15. Klaus E. Meyer & Ram Mudambi & Rajneesh Narula, 2011. "Multinational Enterprises and Local Contexts: The Opportunities and Challenges of Multiple Embeddedness," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(2), pages 235-252, March.
    16. Sarah Birrell Ivory & Simon Bentley Brooks, 2018. "Erratum to: Managing Corporate Sustainability with a Paradoxical Lens: Lessons from Strategic Agility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(2), pages 363-363, March.
    17. Wettstein, Florian & Giuliani, Elisa & Santangelo, Grazia D. & Stahl, Günter K., 2019. "International business and human rights: A research agenda," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 54-65.
    18. Andersen, Torben Juul & Foss, Nicolai Juul, 2005. "Strategic opportunity and economic performance in multinational enterprises: The role and effects of information and communication technology," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 11(2), pages 293-310, June.
    19. Demetris Vrontis & Alkis Thrassou & Gabriele Santoro & Armando Papa, 2017. "Ambidexterity, external knowledge and performance in knowledge-intensive firms," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 42(2), pages 374-388, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Debellis, Francesco & De Massis, Alfredo & Messeni Petruzzelli, Antonio & Frattini, Federico & Del Giudice, Manlio, 2021. "Strategic agility and international joint ventures: The willingness-ability paradox of family firms," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(1).
    2. Vrontis, Demetris & Basile, Gianpaolo & Simona Andreano, M. & Mazzitelli, Andrea & Papasolomou, Ioanna, 2020. "The profile of innovation driven Italian SMEs and the relationship between the firms’ networking abilities and dynamic capabilities," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 313-324.
    3. Shaker A. Zahra & Olga Petricevic & Yadong Luo, 2022. "Toward an action-based view of dynamic capabilities for international business," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(4), pages 583-600, June.
    4. Lívia Lopes Barakat & Torben Pedersen & Marcio Amaral-Baptista & Sherban Leornardo Cretoiu & Paulo Bento, 2022. "Too Much of Two Good Things: Explicating the Limited Complementarity Between Drivers of MNC Headquarters’ Absorptive Capacity," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 62(3), pages 393-426, June.
    5. Henk W. Volberda & Nicolai J. Foss & Marjorie A. Lyles, 2010. "PERSPECTIVE---Absorbing the Concept of Absorptive Capacity: How to Realize Its Potential in the Organization Field," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(4), pages 931-951, August.
    6. Forliano, Canio & Ferraris, Alberto & Bivona, Enzo & Couturier, Jerome, 2022. "Pouring new wine into old bottles: A dynamic perspective of the interplay among environmental dynamism, capabilities development, and performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 448-463.
    7. Mazzucchelli, Alice & Chierici, Roberto & Abbate, Tindara & Fontana, Stefano, 2019. "Exploring the microfoundations of innovation capabilities. Evidence from a cross-border R&D partnership," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 242-252.
    8. Yi-Ju Lo & Tung Hung, 2015. "Structure offshoring and returns on offshoring," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 32(2), pages 443-479, June.
    9. Xiao Zhang & Luqun Xie & Jiatao Li & Li Cheng, 2022. "“Outside in”: Global demand heterogeneity and dynamic capabilities of multinational enterprises," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(4), pages 709-722, June.
    10. Cheng Mei Tung, 2018. "Vertical integration for smart manufacturing-The dynamic capability perspective," Journal of Advances in Technology and Engineering Research, A/Professor Akbar A. Khatibi, vol. 4(2), pages 70-78.
    11. Stefano Elia & Rajneesh Narula & Silvia Massini, 2015. "Disentangling the Role of Modularity and Bandwidth in Entry Mode Choice: The Case of Business Services Offshoring," John H Dunning Centre for International Business Discussion Papers jhd-dp2015-06, Henley Business School, University of Reading.
    12. Marie Le Mouel & Mariagrazia Squicciarini, 2015. "Cross-Country Estimates of Employment and Investment in Organisational Capital: A Task-Based Methodology Using Piaac Data," OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers 2015/8, OECD Publishing.
    13. Shah, Tushar R., 2022. "Can big data analytics help organisations achieve sustainable competitive advantage? A developmental enquiry," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    14. Jingchen Zhao, 2021. "Reimagining Corporate Social Responsibility in the Era of COVID-19: Embedding Resilience and Promoting Corporate Social Competence," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-28, June.
    15. Adrián Kovács & Bart Looy & Bruno Cassiman, 2015. "Exploring the scope of open innovation: a bibliometric review of a decade of research," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 104(3), pages 951-983, September.
    16. Pinho, Celso R.A. & Pinho, Maria Luiza C.A. & Deligonul, Seyda Z. & Tamer Cavusgil, S., 2022. "The agility construct in the literature: Conceptualization and bibliometric assessment," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 517-532.
    17. 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).
    18. Chen, Yantai & Luo, Haibei & Chen, Jin & Guo, Yanlin, 2022. "Building data-driven dynamic capabilities to arrest knowledge hiding: A knowledge management perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 1138-1154.
    19. Liu, Ting & Li, Xizhuo, 2022. "How Do MNCs Conduct Local Technological Innovation in a Host Country? An Examination From Subsidiaries' Perspective," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(3).
    20. Tortora, Debora & Chierici, Roberto & Farina Briamonte, Massimiliano & Tiscini, Riccardo, 2021. "‘I digitize so I exist’. Searching for critical capabilities affecting firms’ digital innovation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 193-204.

    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:eee:intman:v:27:y:2021:i:1:s1075425320300351. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/601266/description#description .

    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.