Dynamic capabilities and firm performance in a financial crisis

In this study, an organization means an active actor that can, at least to some extent, adapt to the environment, mainly within the limits of its resources and capabilities. The article enhances understanding of and explains organizational adaptive behavior in weathering the storm in the business environment resulting from the global financial crisis of 2008. The literature on dynamic capabilities, organizational change, and innovation in the context of organizational performance and survival captures this kind of adaptive behavior. The empirical study builds on a quantitative survey and a qualitative case study covering the food processing, maritime, and media industries. Structural equation modeling, group analysis, and qualitative case comparisons shed light on the connection between the constructs in question. Implications for theory and practice culminate in suggestions for future research. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.