Managing Flexibility for Improved Performance – The Role of Human Capabilities and Technological Capabilities in Retail Organizations Dr. Adlakha Amit Associate Professor, School of Management, IMS Unison University, Dehradun, India Online published on 9 October, 2015. Abstract In the present scenario of rapidly changing social and cultural values in Indian society, where income levels and consequently disposable income of people is rising continuously, lifestyle and buying behavior of people are experiencing immense changes. These changes have made the retail sector also evolve, grow and emerge as a giant sector contributing heavily to the Indian economy; however to survive in this globalised era characterized by cut-throat competition, the retail players need to foster and continuously develop the human and technological capabilities. Implementation of new technologies and strategic planning in accordance with the vision and mission of the organization enhances the manufacturing process thereby improving the organizational performance. In order to make themselves globally competitive the Indian retail organizations will have to develop both human and technological capabilities. They are vital and important for absorbing technology in effective and efficient manner. An effort has been made in the study to analyze how the human and technological capabilities in a retail organization can prove to be the main factors in the technology absorption process that can lead to improved retail performance. The study also aims at establishing a relationship between the technological capabilities, human capabilities and technology absorption process in an organized retail set-up. On the basis of these variables a conceptual model has been developed and research hypotheses formulated. The data has been analyzed and the model is validated through regression, correlation and various other statistical tools. During the study it was observed that technological and human capabilities are vital and play a crucial role in technology absorption process. A relationship was observed between the retail performance, manufacturing process and technological and human capabilities. From the statistical analysis of data collected it was observed that the retail performance is directly linked to manufacturing process and not with other variables. In a nutshell retail organizations to improve their performance will have to enhance the human and technological capabilities for effective technology absorption. Top Keywords Human capabilities, Technological capabilities, Technology absorption, Manufacturing Processes and Retail Performance. Top |