ORGANIZATIONAL AGILITY IN SMES DURING CRISES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND AN INTEGRATIVE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Abstract

Abstract

Better business performance is a major goal for companies working in changing and unsure conditions, especially during times of trouble. In this setting, organizational agility and strategic agility have become more important as key ways that help companies notice changes in the environment, react quickly, and adjust resources. This problem matters more for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) because their structure limits make them more vulnerable to outside impacts. Though there is increasing study connecting agility to performance results, the current writing is broken up with related ideas such as agile organization, agility abilities, and dynamic capabilities being applied unevenly.

This study undertakes a systematic literature review aiming at clarifying and synthesizing extant knowledge about organizational agility in crisis contexts. Based on a structured search from three major academic databases, qualitative content analysis of 75 peer-reviewed articles has been used in the final sample. This study reviews to identify four core categories: agility drivers, agility enablers, agility capabilities, and agility dimensions that are integrated into one comprehensive conceptual framework explaining how firms develop and deploy agility in response to environmental turbulence.

Based on the dynamic capabilities view, it framed how under crisis conditions, organizational mechanisms work to develop agility capabilities. This paper contributes toward building a more coherent theory and at the same time is actionable for SMEs that intend to maintain resilience and sustain performance in times of crisis.

Keywords Organizational agility, Strategic agility, Agile organization, Agility capabilities, Dynamic capabilities, SMEs, Crisis