Strategic Flexibility for High Technology Maneuvers: A Conceptual Framework

Strategic flexibility is proposed as an expedient capability for managing capricious settings, such as those confronted in technology-intensive arenas. This paper examines the historical evolution of the concept of flexibility and analyzes its different senses by relating it to other concepts with a “family resemblance”. A conceptual framework, which integrates the temporal and intentional dimensions of flexibility, is subsequently developed. Four archetypal maneuvers, derived from the framework, are proposed as a means of attaining various types of strategic flexibility. The deployment of these maneuvers is exemplified by means of selected strategic engagements of firms in the computer peripherals arena._x000B__x000B_