ISAR Publisher

International Scientific and Academic Research Publisher

Submit Manuscript

STRATEGIC FLEXIBILITY AND ORGANIZATIONAL RESILIENCE OF INDIGENOUS AIRLINES IN PORT HARCOURT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA


Author: Nathaniel, Sunday Excellence*1, Emeka Obi2
1*Garden City Premier Business School/European Global School-University, France., 2Principal Consultant, Emeka Obidike and Co., Chartered Accountant and Tax Practitioner, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Published Date: 2026-10-23
Received: 2026-07-29
Revised: 2026-09-10
Accepted: 2026-10-04
Keywords: strategic flexibility, organizational resilience, Port Harcourt International Airport, technology adoption.
Abstract:

This study investigated the relationship between strategic flexibility and organizational resilience of indigenous airlines operating at Port Harcourt International Airport, with technology adoption serving as the moderating variable. The independent variable, strategic flexibility, was measured using resource flexibility, coordination flexibility, and operational flexibility, while the dependent variable, organizational resilience, was measured using adaptive capacity, absorptive capacity, and robustness. Technology adoption was operationalized through Information Technology (IT) Infrastructure Capability and Digital Innovation Adoption. A cross-sectional survey research design was adopted. The target population comprised 385 management and operational staff drawn from six indigenous airlines operating at Port Harcourt International Airport. Using the Taro Yamane formula, a sample size of 196 respondents was determined and proportionately allocated using Bowley's proportional allocation technique, while simple random sampling was employed in selecting respondents. A structured questionnaire served as the primary instrument for data collection. Out of the 196 questionnaires administered, 162 valid responses were used for analysis. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 30 and SmartPLS 4.0. Descriptive statistics were used for univariate analysis, while Spearman Rank Order Correlation and Partial Correlation Analysis were employed to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed that resource flexibility and operational flexibility had significant positive relationships with all dimensions of organizational resilience, whereas coordination flexibility significantly influenced only organizational robustness but had no significant relationship with adaptive capacity and absorptive capacity. The study further found that IT Infrastructure Capability and Digital Innovation Adoption strengthened the relationship between strategic flexibility and organizational resilience after statistical control, indicating the strategic importance of technology adoption in enhancing organizational resilience. It recommends that airline management should strengthen resource allocation flexibility, operational agility, organizational learning, digital innovation, and information technology infrastructure to enhance adaptability, absorptive capacity, robustness, and long-term organizational sustainability within Nigeria's aviation industry.