Fostering knowledge creation to improve performance: the mediation role of manufacturing flexibility

José Pinheiro is a Multinational Executive. He has formerly been a researcher on solid-state physics devices on a top European applied physics and R&D facility (INESC Lisbon). In the business world, he has assumed critical roles in several key areas such as technology transfer, innovation, marketing, intrapreneurship, internationalization and general management. He is currently the COO of one of the group's new ventures. He has a PhD in Business Administration (Coimbra University), an MSc in Monetary and Financial Economics (Lisbon School of Economics and Management) and an MSc in Physics Engineering (Lisbon University). José Pinheiro, Multinational Executive, Renova SA, 2350-539 Torres Novas, Portugal, Portugal.

Graça Miranda Silva is an Assistant Professor in the Lisbon School of Economics & Management (ISEG) at Universidade de Lisboa. She earned her PhD in Industrial Engineering, majoring in quality management, from Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT-UNL). Her research primarily focusses on Quality Management (e.g. TQM), Innovation Management (e.g. radical and incremental Innovation, product and process innovation), and Sustainability (e.g. green supply chain management, social and environmental practices). Her research has appeared in International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Business Strategy and the Environment, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business Research and Journal of International Marketing, amongst others. ISEG-Lisbon School of Economics & Management – Universidade de Lisboa, Rua do Quelhas, no. 6, 1200-781 Lisboa, Portugal.

Álvaro Lopes Dias is a Professor of Strategy at Universidade Lusófona and ISCTE, both in Lisbon, Portugal. He got his PhD in Management from Universidad de Extremadura, Spain, after as MBA in International Business. Álvaro Dias has over 24 years of teaching experience. He has had several visiting positions in different countries and institutions including Brazil, Angola, Spain, Poland and Finland. He regularly teaches in English, Portuguese and Spanish at undergraduate, master and doctorate levels, as well as in executive programmes. Professor Dias has produced extensive research in the field of Tourism and Management, including books, book chapters, papers in scientific journals and conference proceedings, case studies, and working papers. Álvaro Dias, Full-time Professor, Universidade Lusófona, Campo Grande 376, 1700-097 Lisbon, Portugal.

Luis Filipe Lages (PhD Warwick, Post-Doc MIT & Stanford) is the Creator of the Value Creation Wheel (VCW). He is a Full-time Professor at Nova SBE, Nova University of Lisbon, Portugal and Director of the VCW Center at Nova. He held(s) visiting positions in several leading schools across the globe. He is on the Editorial Board of several journals in the marketing field and has over 100 publications in the major journals and conferences. In 2018 he was recipient of the decade American Marketing Association (AMA) Global Marketing SIG Research Excellence Award for his 2008 paper published in the Journal of International Business Studies. His fields of research, teaching and consultancy are value creation, problem-solving, marketing strategy, international marketing, innovation and technology transfer to the market. This work has also been presented to corporate and governmental audiences across the globe and covered by major publications such as Harvard Business Publishing, Time, and Wall Street Journal. Luís Filipe Lages, Full Professor, Nova School of Business and Economics, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Office D231, Santander Building, Rua da Holanda, no. 1, 2775-405 Carcavelos, Cascais, Portugal.

Miguel Torres Preto is an Associate Professor at the Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal. He is also a research fellow at LARSYS/IN+. His research interests focus on the value of entrepreneurial human capital on the individual, the company and the region. He published several book chapters and articles in international peer-reviewed journals, on issues concerning entrepreneurship, technological change, and multinationals, such as Journal of International Business Studies, Small Business Economics and European Economic Review. His work was selected for awards at the Academy of Management, Academy of International Business and Interdisciplinary European Conference on Entrepreneurial Research. Miguel Torres Preto, Associate Professor, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisbon.