Journal Press India®

Constructing a Relationship Between Entrepreneurial Leadership and Organizational Flexibility

Vol 21 , Issue 1 , January - June 2020 | Pages: 23-38 | Research Paper  

https://doi.org/10.51768/dbr.v21i1.211202013


Author Details ( * ) denotes Corresponding author

1. * Raushan Gross, Associate Professor, Business Management, Pfeiffer University, Misenheimer, New Caledonia (Raushan.Gross@pfeiffer.edu)

Purpose: This theoretical study provides numerous contributions to the entrepreneurial leadership and organizational flexibility literature. This is due to two main crosscurrents in the business landscape: the plasticity of entrepreneurial leadership as a creator of a firm’s competitive advantages and the ever changing, agile firm that competes in extremely unstable marketplace environments.

Design/Methodology/Approach: The dimensions of organizational flexibility (i.e., competitiveness, operational, and strategic flexibility) are configured into a new theoretical framework. From this theoretical examination derived five future research questions that are hypothesized to be attributed to the transitional dynamics of flexibility. The barriers to organizational flexibility and the effects of entrepreneurial leadership are theoretically examined using the extant literature in these research areas.

Findings: Entrepreneurial leadership and organizational flexibility are hypothesized in this paper as being positively linked.

Research Limitations: Inherent in all human endeavors, this study is not without its limitations. This study’s postulates and research questions are unique and directed to future research.

Practical Implications: Theoretical postulates and research questions are developed for future researchers to explore in this mosaic vineyard. Future research should approach these areas from the firm-level and individual-level of analysis to establish a full conception of the interplay between the individual and the firm.

Originality/Value: This theoretical framework is unique and has not been addressed or written about in the extant management, strategic leadership, and organizational literatures. Entrepreneurial leadership is explored historically and in its contemporary sui generis nature within the firm.

Keywords

Organizational Flexibility, Entrepreneurial Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Management.

  1. Adler, P. S., Goldoftas, B., & Levine, D. I. (1999). Flexibility versus efficiency? A case study of model changeovers in the Toyota production system. Organization Science, 10(1), 43-68.
  2. Antonakis, J., & Autio, E. (2007). Entrepreneurship and leadership. In J. R. Baum, M. Frese, & R. A. Baron (Eds.), The Psychology of Entrepreneurship (pp. 189-207). New York: Psychology Press.
  3. Atkinson, J. (1985). Flexibility, uncertainty, and manpower management. Brighton, UK: Institute of Manpower Studies.
  4. Balkin, D. B., & Logan, J. W. (1988). Reward policies that support entrepreneurship. Compensation & Benefits Review, 20(1), 18-25.
  5. Barbuto, Jr., J. E.(2016). How is strategy formed in organizations? A multi-disciplinary taxonomy of strategy-making approaches. Journal of Behavioral and Applied Management, 3(1), 65-77.
  6. Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1994). Transformational leadership and organizational culture. The International Journal of Public Administration, 17(3-4), 541-554.
  7. Bhardwaj, B. R., & Momaya, K. (2006). Role of organizational flexibility for corporate entrepreneurship: Case study of FedEx Corporation. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 7(1/2), 37-44.
  8. Brozovic, D. (2018). Strategic flexibility: A review of the literature. International Journal of Management Reviews, 20(1), 3-31.
  9. Carlsson, B. (1999). Small business, entrepreneurship, and industrial dynamics. In are small firms important? Their role and impact. (pp. 99-110). Boston, MA: Springer.
  10. Child, J. (2015). Organization: Contemporary principles and practice. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing.
  11. Chowdary, B. V. (2001). Flexibility and related issues in evaluation and selection of technological systems. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 2(2), 11-20.
  12. Coulson-Thomas, C. (2015). Leadership, innovation, and business growth. Management Services, 60(2), 36-43.
  13. De Groote, X. (1994). The flexibility of production processes: A general framework. Management Science, 40(7), 933-945.
  14. Drucker, P. F. (1986). Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices. New York, NY: Random House.
  15. Ensign, P. C., & Robinson, N. P. (2016). Offensive and defensive corporate entrepreneurship: Learning to think like an outsider. Journal of Enterprising Culture, 24(02), 169-191.
  16. Fernald, L. W., Solomon, G. T., & Tarabishy, A. (2005). A new paradigm: Entrepreneurial leadership. Southern Business Review, 30(2), 1-10.
  17. Friedman, M., & Friedman, R. D. (1984). Tyranny of the Status Quo. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace Company. 
  18. Grewal, R., & Tanshuhaj, P. (2001). Building organizational capabilities for managing economic crisis: The role of market orientation and strategic flexibility. Journal of Marketing, 65(2), 67-80. 
  19. Gromoff, A., Kazantsev, N., Kozhevnikov, D., Ponfilenok, M., & Stavenko, Y. (2012). Newer approach to create flexible business architecture of modern enterprise. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 13(4), 207-215.
  20. Gross, R. (2016). Towards an understanding of the relationship between leadership styles and strategic thinking: A small and medium enterprise perspective. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 8(2), 22-39.
  21. Gross, R. (2019). The nexus between followership and entrepreneurial leadership: A firm-level analysis. Journal of Management Policy and Practice, 20(5), 18-27.
  22. Gupta, V., MacMillan, I. C., & Surie, G. (2004). Entrepreneurial leadership: Developing and measuring a cross-cultural construct. Journal of Business Venturing, 19(2), 241-260.
  23. Handy, C. (1995). Trust and the virtual organization. Long Range Planning, 28(4), 126-126.
  24. Hébert, R. F., & Link, A. N. (1982). The Entrepreneur: Mainstream views and radical critiques. New York, NY: Praeger.
  25. Hentschke, G. C. (2010). Developing entrepreneurial leaders. In Developing successful leadership (pp. 115-132). Dordrecht: Springer.
  26. Hickman, G. R. (1998). Leading organizations: Perspectives for a new era. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. 
  27. Hmieleski, K. M., & Ensley, M. D. (2007). A contextual examination of new venture performance: Entrepreneur leadership behavior, top management team heterogeneity, and environmental dynamism. Journal of Organizational Behavior: The International Journal of Industrial, Occupational and Organizational Psychology and Behavior, 28(7), 865-889.
  28. Hoskisson, R. E., Covin, J., Volberda, H. W., & Johnson, R. A. (2011). Revitalizing entrepreneurship: The search for new research opportunities. Journal of Management Studies, 48(6), 1141-1168.
  29. Jansen, J. J., Van den Bosch, F. A., & Volberda, H. W. (2005). Exploratory innovation, exploitative innovation, and ambidexterity: The impact of environmental and organizational antecedents. Schmalenbach Business Review, 57(4), 351-363.
  30. Jones, O., & Crompton, H. (2009). Enterprise logic and small firms: A model of authentic entrepreneurial leadership. Journal of Strategy and Management, 2(4), 329-351.
  31. Kanter, R. M. (1983). The change masters: innovation for productivity in the American mode. New York: Simon & Schuster. 
  32. Kanter, R. M. (1994). Collaborative advantage. Harvard Business Review, 72(4), 96-108.
  33. Kirzner, I. M. (1973). Competition & Entrepreneurship. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
  34. Kirzner, I. M. (1997). Entrepreneurial discovery and the competitive market process: An Austrian approach. Journal of Economic Literature, 35(1), 60-85.
  35. Kirzner, I. M. (1999). Creativity and/or alertness: A reconsideration of the Schumpeterian entrepreneur. The Review of Austrian Economics, 11(1-2), 5-17.
  36. Knight, F. H. (1933). Risk, uncertainty, and profit. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.
  37. Kouropalatis, Y., Hughes, P., & Morgan, R. E. (2012). Pursuing “flexible commitment” as strategic ambidexterity: An empirical justification in high technology firms. European Journal of Marketing, 46(10), 1389-1417.
  38. Kuratko, D. F., Ireland, R. D., Covin, J. G., & Hornsby, J. S. (2005). A model of middle–level managers’ entrepreneurial behavior. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 29(6), 699-716.
  39. Kuratko, D. F., Hornsby, J. S., & Goldsby, M. G. (2007). The relationship of stakeholder salience, organizational posture, and entrepreneurial intensity to corporate entrepreneurship. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 13(4), 56-72.
  40. Landstrom, H. (1999). The roots of entrepreneurship research. New England Journal of Entrepreneurship, 2(2), 9-20.
  41. Leibenstein, H. (1968). Entrepreneurship and Development. The American Economic Review, 58(2), 72-83.
  42. Leitch, C. M., & Volery, T. (2017). Entrepreneurial leadership: Insights and directions. International Small Business Journal, 35(2), 147-156.
  43. Marshall, A. (1961). In Guillebaud, C. W., & Royal Economic Society (Great Britain). Principles of Economics. London: Macmillan for the Royal Economic Society.
  44. Mendez, M. J., Howell, J. P., & Bishop, J. W. (2015). Beyond the unidimensional collective leadership model. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 36(6), 675-696.
  45. Mintzberg, H., & Waters, J. A. (1985). Of strategies, deliberate, and emergent. Strategic Management Journal, 6(3), 257-272.
  46. Mintzberg, H. (1989). Mintzberg on management: Inside our strange world of organizations. The New York, NY: The Free Press.
  47. Mintzberg, H. (1990). The design school: Reconsidering the basic premises of strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 11(3), 171-195.
  48. Mintzberg, H., & Westley, F. (1992). Cycles of organizational change. Strategic Management Journal, 13(S2), 39-59.
  49. Mises, L. V. (1949). Profit and loss. Planning for Freedom. Auburn, AL: Mises Institute.
  50. Newman, A., Herman, H. M., Schwarz, G., & Nielsen, I. (2018). The effects of employees’ creative self-efficacy on innovative behavior: The role of entrepreneurial leadership. Journal of Business Research, 89, 1-9.
  51. Northouse, P. G. (2007). Leadership: Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  52. Parnell, J. A. (2005). Strategic philosophy and management level. Management Decision, 43(2), 157-170.
  53. Peters, T. J. (1987). Thriving on chaos: Handbook for a management revolution. New York, NY: Harper and Row.
  54. Renko, M., El Tarabishy, A., Carsrud, A. L., & Brännback, M. (2015). Understanding and measuring entrepreneurial leadership style. Journal of Small Business Management, 53(1), 54-74.
  55. Roberts, N., & Stockport, G. J. (2009). Defining strategic flexibility. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 10(1), 27-32.
  56. Rodgers, C. S. (1992). The flexible workplace: What have we learned? Human Resource Management, 31(3), 183-199.
  57. Roomi, M. A., & Harrison, P. (2011). Entrepreneurial leadership: What is it and how should it be taught? International Review of Entrepreneurship, 9(3), 1–44.
  58. Rothbard, M. N. (1985). Professor Hébert on entrepreneurship. Journal of Libertarian Studies, 7(2), 281-286.
  59. Ruvio, A., Rosenblatt, Z., & Hertz-Lazarowitz, R. (2010). Entrepreneurial leadership vision in nonprofit vs. for-profit organizations. The Leadership Quarterly, 21(1), 144-158.
  60. Salerno, J. T. (2008). The entrepreneur: Real and imagined. The Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics, 11(3-4), 188-207.
  61. Sanchez, R. (1996). Strategic product creation: Managing new interactions of technology, markets, and organizations. European management journal, 14(2), 121-138.
  62. Schriesheim, C. A., Castro, S. L., Zhou, X. T., & DeChurch, L. A. (2006). An investigation of path-goal and transformational leadership theory predictions at the individual level of analysis. The Leadership Quarterly, 17(1), 21-38.
  63. Schumpeter, J. A. (1934). The theory of economic development: An inquiry into profits, capital, credit, interest, and the business cycle. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
  64. Schumpeter, J. (1950). The process of creative destruction. In J. Schumpeter (Ed.), Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy (pp. 131-145). London, England: Allen and Unwin.
  65. Scott, W. R., & Meyer, J. W. (1994). Institutional environments and organizations: Structural complexity and individualism. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  66. Shane, S., & Venkataraman, S. (2000). The promise of entrepreneurship as a field of research. Academy of Management Review, 25(1), 217-226.
  67. Sharma, M. K., & Jain, P. K. (2010). Revisiting flexibility in organizations: Exploring its impact on performance. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 11(3), 51-68.
  68. Shimizu, K., & Hitt, M. A. (2004). Strategic flexibility: Organizational preparedness to reverse ineffective strategic decisions. Academy of Management Perspectives, 18(4), 44-59.
  69. Silverthorne, C. (2001). Leadership effectiveness and personality: A cross cultural evaluation. Personality and Individual Differences, 30(2), 303-309.
  70. Singh, D., Oberoi, J. S., & Ahuja, I. S. (2013). An empirical investigation of dynamic capabilities in managing strategic flexibility in manufacturing organizations. Management Decision, 51(7), 1442-1461.
  71. Skordoulis, R. T. (2004). Strategic flexibility and change: An aid to strategic thinking or another managerial abstraction? Strategic Change, 13(5), 253-258.
  72. Soriano, D. R., & Martínez, J. M. C. (2007). Transmitting the entrepreneurial spirit to the work team in SMEs: The importance of leadership. Management Decision, 45(7), 1102-1122.
  73. Steers, R. M. (1975). Problems in the measurement of organizational effectiveness. Administrative Science Quarterly, 20(4), 546-558.
  74. Strobl, A., Bauer, F., & Matzler, K. (2018). The impact of industry-wide and target market environmental hostility on entrepreneurial leadership in mergers and acquisitions. Journal of World Business, 55(2), 1-18.
  75. Surie, G., & Ashley, A. (2008). Integrating pragmatism and ethics in entrepreneurial leadership for sustainable value creation. Journal of Business Ethics, 81(1), 235-246.
  76. Sushil, S. (1997). Flexible systems management: An evolving paradigm. Systems Research Behavioral Science, 14(4), 259-275.
  77. Sushil, S. (1999). Flexibility in management. New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House.
  78. Sushil, S. (2000). Concept of systemic flexibility. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 1(1), 77-88.
  79. Sushil, S. (2001). Demythifying Flexibility. Management Decision, 39(10), 860-865.
  80. Tang, Z., & Rothenberg, S. (2009). Does perceptual acuity matter? —An investigation of entrepreneurial orientation, perceptual acuity, and firm performance. Journal of Enterprising Culture, 17(01), 79-102.
  81. ter Hoeven, C. L., & van Zoonen, W. (2015). Flexible work designs and employee well being: Examining the effects of resources and demands. New Technology, Work and Employment, 30(3), 237-255.
  82. Praag, V. C. M. (1999). Some classic views on entrepreneurship. De economist, 147(3), 311-335.
  83. van der Weerdt, N. P., Volberda, H. W., Verwaal, E., & Stienstra, M. (2012). Organizing for flexibility: Addressing dynamic capabilities and organization design. In Bøllingtoft, Anne, Lex Donaldson, George P. Huber, Dorthe Døjbak Håkonsson, & Charles C. Snow, (Eds.), Collaborative Communities of firms (pp. 105-125). New York, NY: Springer.
  84. Volberda, H. W. (1996). Toward the flexible form: How to remain vital in hypercompetitive environments? Organization Science, 7(4), 359-374.
  85. Volberda, H. W. (1998). Toward the flexible form: How to remain vital in hypercompetitive environments. In A. Y. Ilinitch, A. Y. Lewin, & R. D’Aveni (Eds.), Managing in times of disorder: Hyper competitive organizational responses, 267-296. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
  86. Volberda, H. W. (1999). Building the ûexible ûrm: How to remain competitive? New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
  87. Yukl, G. (2009). Leading organizational learning: Reflections on theory and research. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(1), 49-53.
  88. Zunz, O. (1990). Making America Corporate 1870 – 1920. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Abstract Views: 2
PDF Views: 371

Advanced Search

News/Events

Indira Institute of ...

Indira Institute of Management, Pune Organizing International Confe...

D. Y. Patil Internat...

D. Y. Patil International University, Akurdi-Pune Organizing Nation...

ISBM College of Engi...

ISBM College of Engineering, Pune Organizing International Conferen...

Periyar Maniammai In...

Department of Commerce Periyar Maniammai Institute of Science &...

Institute of Managem...

Vivekanand Education Society's Institute of Management Studies ...

Institute of Managem...

Deccan Education Society Institute of Management Development and Re...

S.B. Patil Institute...

Pimpri Chinchwad Education Trust's S.B. Patil Institute of Mana...

D. Y. Patil IMCAM, A...

D. Y. Patil Institute of Master of Computer Applications & Managem...

Vignana Jyothi Insti...

Vignana Jyothi Institute of Management International Conference on ...

Department of Commer...

Department of Commerce, Faculty of Commerce & Business, University...

By continuing to use this website, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.