Adaptive Behavior and Strategic Choice of Manufacturing Firms in Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the influence of adaptive behavior on strategic choice among manufacturing firms in Nigeria, drawing on Mintzberg’s Emergent Strategy Theory as its primary theoretical lens. The persistent volatility of Nigeria’s business environment has fundamentally altered how manufacturing firms formulate and sustain competitive strategies. Exchange-rate instability, inflation, regulatory inconsistency, and infrastructural deficits often render formal strategic plans obsolete before implementation, compelling firms to rely on continuous adaptation for survival. Using a quantitative cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from thirty manufacturing firms operating in Rivers State, Nigeria. Adaptive behavior was operationalized through environmental scanning, operational flexibility, improvisation/responsiveness, and learning and renewal, while strategic choice was measured in terms of cost leadership, differentiation, focus, and sustainability orientation. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings revealed that all dimensions of adaptive behavior exert a positive and statistically significant influence on strategic choice, with learning and renewal emerging as the strongest predictor. The results confirm that, in volatile environments, strategic choice is not solely the product of deliberate planning but evolves from repeated adaptive actions that are gradually institutionalized into coherent strategic orientations. The study contributes to strategic management literature by providing empirical evidence from a developing economy and reinforcing the relevance of emergent strategy in explaining strategy formation under conditions of persistent uncertainty. Practically, the findings highlight the need for manufacturing managers to prioritize adaptive capabilities and organizational learning as foundations for sustainable strategic direction.