The Role of Strategic Flexibility in Enhancing Innovation Performance

Abstract

The study dealt with the role of strategic flexibility in enhancing innovation performance of organizations. It attempted to provide a comprehensive theoretical framework for the most important of what the writers and researchers presented about the study variables. An analytical framework for the opinions of a sample of heads and members of the councils of (38) private colleges distributed around the governorates of Baghdad, Najaf, Karbala, Babylon, Muthanna and Diwaniyah. The sample included (269) individuals who hold the post of dean, associate dean, and head of department at those colleges. The study included two variables: strategic flexibility (reactive, proactive flexibility) as an independent variable and innovation performance (exploration innovation, investment innovation) as a dependent variable. The study assumed that there is a positive relationship between strategic flexibility of colleges and their innovative performance. In other words, colleges that have a high level of strategic flexibility will achieve a higher level of innovative performance. The questionnaire used to collect data and adopted a number of statistical methods such as, (Pearson) correlation and simple regression analysis (SRA). The study concluded that the hypothesis of correlation and influence between strategic flexibility and innovation performance is correct. A number of recommendations related to its subject are introduced, of which the importance of working to build advanced systems in the field of information technology and update its database continually to positively reflected on the speed and accuracy of decisions taken by deans of colleges, to ensure effective implementation of their chosen strategic alternatives.