Grand challenges and emerging market small and medium enterprises: The role of strategic agility and gender diversity
Nadia Zahoor, Huda Khan, Francis Donbesuur, Zaheer Khan, Tazeeb Rajwani
kHUB post date: May 23, 2024
Originally published: January 27, 2023 (PDMA JPIM • Vol. 41, Issue 2 • March 2024)
Read time: 50 minutes
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This paper examines the role played by strategic agility and gender diversity in enabling the creation of value for grand challenges (VCGCs) by small and medium-sized enterprises originating from emerging markets (ESMEs). ESMEs face significant challenges due to the dynamic environments in which they operate and the limited support they receive from formal institutions. In such contexts, strategic agility enables ESMEs to drive VCGCs through responsible collaborative innovation. We further argue that gender diversity is an important boundary condition that influences the effect of strategic agility on VCGCs via responsible collaborative innovation. Utilizing 228 survey responses from ESMEs originating from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), our findings shed light on the vital role played by strategic agility in enhancing ESMEs' VCGCs. Specifically, our findings indicate that responsible collaborative innovation acts as an important mediating mechanism between strategic agility and VCGCs. In addition, gender diversity emerges as an important moderating factor in that, in the presence of more heterogeneous senior management teams, the effect of strategic agility on VCGCs through the mediating mechanism of responsible collaborative innovation is higher. These findings contribute to the literature on dynamic capabilities, upper echelons, and grand challenges by providing important insights into the mechanisms and boundary conditions of VCGCs in the context of emerging market firms.
- Grand challenges present significant leadership and coordination challenges for firms.
- Grand challenges can be effectively addressed through coordinated actions and nurturing organizational capabilities.
- Emerging market-based SMEs can create value for grand challenges by utilizing meta capability (strategic agility), nurturing responsible collaborative innovation, and gender diversity.
- Gender diversity plays an important role in enhancing the impact of strategic agility on value creation for grand challenges.