A theoretical framework for analyzing the dimensions of manufacturing flexibility

The competitive environment of today has generated an increased interest in flexibility as a response mechanism. While the potential benefits of flexi bility are familiar, the concept of flexibility itself is not well-understo od. Neither practitioners nor academics agree upon, or know, how flexibilit y can be gauged or measured in its totality. Consequently, this study seeks to provide a framework for understanding this complex concept and to creat e a theoretical foundation for the development of generalizable measures fo r manufacturing flexibility. With this objective in mind, we first critical ly examine diverse streams of literature to define four constituent element s of flexibility: range number (R-W), range-heterogeneity (R-H), mobility ( M), and uniformity (U). The R-H element is new, and has not been proposed b efore in prior literature. These four elements can be applied to consistent ly define different types or dimensions of flexibility. Definitions for 10 flexibility dimensions pertaining to manufacturing are thus obtained. These definitions serve a dual purpose. First, they capture the domain of flexib ility. Second, we show in this study how these definitions can be used to g enerate scale items, thereby facilitating the development of generalizable manufacturing flexibility measures. Several research avenues that can be ex plored once such measures are developed are also highlighted. (C) 1999 Else vier Science B.V. All rights reserved.