Enhancing organizational resilience through big data analytics capability: the mediating role of strategic flexibility

Purpose As environmental turbulence intensifies, big data analytics (BDA) has become a cornerstone for modern firms seeking to manage uncertainty and enhance organizational resilience. Drawing on the organizational capabilities-based theory and information technology (IT)-enabled organizational capabilities perspective, this study aims to uncover the underlying mechanisms and diverse pathways through which BDA capability influences organizational resilience. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining advanced analysis for composites–structural equation modeling (ADANCO-SEM) in Phase 1 and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) in Phase 2 to analyze survey data from 239 Chinese firms. Findings The ADANCO-SEM analysis revealed that BDA capability significantly enhances organizational resilience by fostering resource flexibility and coordination flexibility. The fsQCA analysis further elucidated how firms of different sizes and BDA experience configure their BDA capability and strategic flexibility to achieve proactive and reactive resilience. These findings validate and extend the results of the ADANCO-SEM analysis. Originality/value This study makes a valuable contribution to Information systems (IS) research by theoretically and empirically uncovering the mechanism through which BDA capability influences organizational resilience.