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Diverse Shades of Flexibility and Agility in Business

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Systemic Flexibility and Business Agility

Part of the book series: Flexible Systems Management ((FLEXSYS))

Abstract

Flexibility and agility in business relate with the dimensions of choice and speed at various levels in the conduct of the business. These are required in view of changing business situation, customer needs, market dynamics, competition, and so on. On the other hand, it is facilitated by new organizational designs (structure and processes), leadership, new technology, business innovations, and empowered people. The chapter is intended to clarify multiple perspectives associated with flexibility and agility in conduct of business in a global setup. This objective is achieved through a review of the literature as well as practice. The multiple connotations identified through such a review are clustered into dominant dimensions of flexibility and agility. A total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) of these flexibility/agility dimensions is carried out to identify their relationships for building a conceptual framework. This is then illustrated by a number of case examples around the identified dimensions and relationships.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

    Consortia

    Sushil

    Editor information

    Editors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi,, New Delhi, India

      Sushil

    2. Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria

      Gerhard Chroust

    Appendix I

    Appendix I

    figure a

    1.1 Exhibit 1: Reachability Matrix for Dimensions of Flexibility/Agility

     

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    Dimensions of flexibility/agility:

    1. 1.

      Managing paradox

    2. 2.

      Ambidexterity

    3. 3.

      IT and business agility

    4. 4.

      Confluence of continuity and change

    5. 5.

      Flexibility in operations

    6. 6.

      Flexibility in business excellence

    7. 7.

      Flexibility maturity

    1.2 Exhibit 2: Level Partitioning

    1. a)

      Iteration 1

    Dimension

    Reachability set

    Antecedent set

    Intersection set

    Level

    1

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

    1, 2

    1, 2

    		 

    2

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

    1, 2

    1, 2

    		 

    3

    3, 5, 6, 7

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5

    3, 5

    		 

    4

    3, 4, 5, 6, 7

    1, 2, 4

    4

    		 

    5

    3, 5, 6, 7

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5

    3, 5

    		 

    6

    6, 7

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

    6

    		 

    7

    7

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

    7

    I

    1. a.

      Iteration 2

    Dimension

    Reachability set

    Antecedent set

    Intersection set

    Level

    1

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

    1, 2

    1, 2

    		 

    2

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

    1, 2

    1, 2

    		 

    3

    3, 5, 6

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5

    3, 5

    		 

    4

    3, 4, 5, 6

    1, 2, 4

    4

    		 

    5

    3, 5, 6

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5

    3, 5

    		 

    6

    6

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

    6

    		 
    1. b.

      Iteration 3

    Dimension

    Reachability set

    Antecedent set

    Intersection set

    Level

    1

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5

    1, 2

    1, 2

    		 

    2

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5

    1, 2

    1, 2

    		 

    3

    3, 5

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5

    3, 5

    III

    4

    3, 4, 5

    1, 2, 4

    4

    		 

    5

    3, 5

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5

    3, 5

    III

    1. c.

      Iteration 4

    Dimension

    Reachability set

    Antecedent set

    Intersection set

    Level

    1

    1, 2, 4

    1, 2

    1, 2

    		 

    2

    1, 2, 4

    1, 2

    1, 2

    		 

    4

    4

    1, 2, 4

    4

    IV

    1. d.

      Iteration 5

    Dimension

    Reachability set

    Antecedent set

    Intersection set

    Level

    1

    1, 2

    1, 2

    1, 2

    V

    2

    1, 2

    1, 2

    1, 2

    V

    1.3 Exhibit 3: Summary of Level Partitioning

    Dimension

    Reachability set

    Antecedent set

    Intersection set

    Level

    7

    7

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

    7

    I

    6

    6

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

    6

    II

    3

    3, 5

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5

    3, 5

    III

    5

    3, 5

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5

    3, 5

    III

    4

    4

    1, 2, 4

    4

    IV

    1

    1, 2

    1, 2

    1, 2

    V

    2

    1, 2

    1, 2

    1, 2

    V

    1.4 Exhibit 4: Digraph of Hierarchical Relationships

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    Sushil. (2015). Diverse Shades of Flexibility and Agility in Business. In: Sushil, ., Chroust, G. (eds) Systemic Flexibility and Business Agility. Flexible Systems Management. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2151-7_1

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