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Manufacturing flexibility and performance: bridging the gap between theory and practice

de Treville, Suzanne ; Bendahan, Samuel ; Vanderhaeghe, Annelies

In: International Journal of Flexible Manufacturing Systems, 2007, vol. 19, no. 4, p. 334-357

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    Title
    • Manufacturing flexibility and performance: bridging the gap between theory and practice
    Author
    • de Treville, Suzanne. Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Lausanne, Internef 315, 1015, Lausanne-Dorigny, Switzerland
    • Bendahan, Samuel. Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Lausanne, Internef 315, 1015, Lausanne-Dorigny, Switzerland
    • Vanderhaeghe, Annelies. Picanol Group, Ter Waarde 50, 8900, Ieper, Belgium
    Document Type
    • Postprint
    Language
    • English
    Published in
    • International Journal of Flexible Manufacturing Systems, 2007, vol. 19, no. 4, p. 334-357. Springer US; http://www.springer-ny.com
    Other Version
    OAI-PMH Identifier
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:313365
    Summary
    How firms scan and interpret their environments has implications for the flexibility strategy that they choose, as well as for the performance of that strategy. We extend Daft and Weick's (Acad Manage Rev 9(2):284-295, 1984) model of firms as interpretation systems into a theoretical model of flexibility performance through extended iterations between observations of a failed flexibility initiative and relevant literature. We test the model using well-known teaching cases. We argue that the use of an iterative process that involves cases and theory both stimulates creativity in integrating theory and lays an initial foundation for evidence-based practice