Referring to the attention-based view of the firm, our study addresses the relationship between executives' future orientation and strategic flexibility. We examine the impact of the future orientation of top-level managers on two distinct facets of strategic flexibility, specifically strategic flexibility as an ex ante potential and an ex post observable status. Based on panel data for large German companies from 2003 to 2011, we find empirical evidence that a higher level of future orientation leads to higher levels of both types of strategic flexibility. Especially, the influence on the ex post observable type in terms of realized strategic flexibility is highly significant. Thus, we provide additional empirical evidence for three under-researched domains: the consequences of future orientation, the antecedents of strategic flexibility, and the precise distinction of strategic flexibility.

Through a longitudinal case study of a financial services company offshoring services to Poland, this paper provides insight into the barriers that prevent offshore team members to learn their tasks effectively. Findings also reveal that using expatriates and inpatriates to facilitate the learning process may in fact act as a double edge sword. While helping bridging the distance between onshore and offshore operation, over-parenting by expatriates may create detachment from the part of offshore members who are then less motivated to think independently and learn. And if inpatriation at first helps create social ties between onshore and offshore colleagues - thereby reducing the risk of onshore colleagues hoarding information - and opens careers opportunities that motivate offshore staff to learn; over time it may create frustrations by making offshoring, and in particular associated status and career path differences, visible to all.