Mediating Effect of Operational Flexibility on the Relationship between Absorptive Capacity and Performance

Abstract

The objective of this work is to analyze the influence of operational flexibility in the relationship between the capacity to absorb knowledge and business performance, to contribute from dynamic capacities (DC) with the industry. Methodology - The research was positivist, explanatory and not experimental cross-sectional. 75 Colombian companies in the manufacturing sector were analyzed. Data was obtained through a structured Likert-type questionnaire addressed to management. The relationship was verified using modeling with structural equations and the mediation method with support in Smart PLS4. Results -The findings indicate that operational flexibility positively mediates the relationship between absorptive capacity and the performance of manufacturing firms. When opportunities are detected in the market, organizations reconfigure their capabilities, in that sense they adjust their flexibility to take advantage of them, and increase their potential and realized absorption capacity, which allows them to adapt their capabilities disruptively to the demands of the market, obtaining superior performance.