The environment in which companies operate is highly competitive and it is necessary to adapt to new scenarios in order to have a better competitive position. Business flexibility provides ideal tools to compete in today's market. These are its benefits!  

According to the RAE, flexible is to be “susceptible to changes or variations depending on circumstances or needss” and in today's market this must be a quality of any company, even more so when the digital milestone transformed, in every sense, the way in which customers perceive things. stakeholders. 

“We all understand that, in general, something is flexible if it has the capacity to change or adapt to external conditions. Translating this idea into the realm of organizations, flexibility refers to the capacity of an organization to respond effectively to a competitive, changing environment, while maintaining or improving its competitive position.” The teacher explains Eva Rimbau-Gilabert, from the Open University of Catalonia.  

But… what are we talking about when we talk about business flexibility?

There is no single definition or way of assuming it, so, to understand this trend it is necessary to understand its multiple forms. Below we detail them in more detail:

1. Strategic flexibility refers to the company's ability to adapt to active participation in the market. It is the viewpoint of senior management and the willingness to respond quickly to changes in the environment and thus maintain a competitive advantage.
2. Organizational or structural flexibility refers to the possibility of reorganizing or restructuring the organization, tasks, processes or internal communication channels of the company in favor of the current conditions of the environment.
3. Productive flexibility refers to the ability to adapt production without incurring high costs. It is oriented towards the capacity to produce new products, to change the proportion of each product within the total production and to vary the production volume according to market needs.
4. Work flexibility refers to the efficient adaptation of available human resources to meet market demand and company objectives. It is about making the most of that resource without violating working conditions.

Now, after understanding each of its meanings, it is important to understand what it is used for or what are the benefits that flexible companies bring with them. According to the specialist in finance, business ethics and human resources, the American Stan Mack, are:

• Efficiency:Continually refining company policies helps identify new and better ways of doing things and encourages innovation. Over time you will become more efficient, which means higher profits and lower costs.
• Competitiveness: A rigid, mechanical organization cannot adapt and fails when challenges arise; a flexible organization responds to change by growing, recognizing change as inevitable, and learning to use it to maximize competitiveness.
• Effective team buildingA flexible management structure capitalizes on the strengths of its workforce. The result is a team that is flexible enough to handle various challenges, making the entire organization more effective. A rigid manager, on the other hand, tries to fit square pegs into round holes, forcing employees to do things they are not experts at.
• Flexible schedulesFlexible organizations give employees more options, making it easier for them to have rewarding personal lives and meet their commitments. For example, allowing remote work or implementing a flexible work schedule is good for those who have families or other demanding responsibilities. Such accommodations foster loyalty, making it easier to retain quality employees.

The greatest benefit of business flexibility is to obtain the best competitive position in your specific market. Adopting this culture of flexibility allows you to anticipate future scenarios and shape the company, with all its resources, according to that atmosphere.

Bibliographic sources:

• Teacher Eva Rimbau-Gilabert
• Stan Mack