Abstract

This study tried to shed light on the relationship between strategic orientations and sustainable competitive performance with the mediating effect of strategic flexibility of family-owned SMEs in an emerging economy. This study is significant because family firms need a more flexible and quick organizational structure to respond effectively to external market demands. For achieving fruitful insights, data was collected from family-owned manufacturing firms operating in Islamabad and Rawalpindi verified from Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA). In addition, structured questionnaires were used to collect the data from top management through an online source; for testing the hypotheses, Smart PLS-SEM was deployed. The finding suggests that strategic flexibility firmly explains the mechanism to support the relationship between both strategic orientations (entrepreneurial and market) and sustainable competitive performance. Thus, our study suggests several recommendations to the policymaker and governmental bodies to support the family-owned firms in modifying existing resources according to the market demand.