American Journal of Business Management, Economics and Banking ISSN (E): 2832-8078 Volume 24, | May - 2024 P a g e | 61 www.americanjournal.org THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STRATEGIC IMPROVISATION AND INNOVATIVE BEHAVIOR IN JORDAN FROM LITERARY REVIEW PERSPECTIVE Dua’a Adnan M Abu Shariah, Phd Candidate, Strategic Management, Business Faculty, Mutah University, Jordan Kamel Mohammad AL Hawajreh, Strategic Management, Business Faculty, Mutah University, Jordan A B S T R A C T K E Y W O R D S In the struggle between technology and high competition, business institutions seek to deal in a way that ensures adaptation and innovation to ensure their survival in the market. Hence, strategic improvisation emerged to deal with challenges and events so that there is a rapid response to all data, in addition to compatibility of business innovation in a way that suits the volatile business environment. Hence, the current study came to investigate this relationship between strategic improvisation and innovation from a theoretical perspective. To achieve the objectives of the study, the descriptive approach was adopted by systematically reviewing previous relevant literature. It reflects theories and contributions in the field within different circumstances and data. The comprehensive review study concluded that there is a positive relationship between strategic improvisation and innovation. So that companies that rely on strategic improvisation will be more innovative at all levels. Hence, the study recommends that Jordanian companies, after suffering many challenges after the Corona virus, need to employ strategic improvisation strategies in harmony with innovation in business to have added value and continue in the Jordanian business environment that suffers from many challenges represented by politics and economics. Strategic Agility, Organization Structure, Idea Exploration, Idea Generation, Entrepreneurship, Strategic Adaptation Introduction With global economic developments, companies have many challenges and opportunities (Alghizzawi, Ahmed, et al., 2024; Malkawi et al., 2024). In order to reach safety and ensure continuity in the business environment, adaptation is necessary (Omeish, Alrousan, et al., 2024; Omeish, Sharabati, et al., 2024). Hence, modern concepts and strategies were born in the business environment American Journal of Business Management, Economics and Banking Volume 24 May - 2024 P a g e | 62 www.americanjournal.org for the purposes of improvisation and innovative behavior that serves institutions (Alsaqal et al., 2021; Gojny-Zbierowska & Zbierowski, 2021). This enhances the speed of dealing with challenges and making strategic decisions in an accurate and thoughtful manner (Ibrahim et al., 2018; Mamédio et al., 2022). Therefore, innovative behavior includes dealing with behaviors that are consistent with the company’s ideas and products (Elareshi et al., 2022). The relationship between strategic improvisation and innovative behavior is important in the context of scientific and practical contributions in the business sector. Understanding this relationship generates more effective perceptions for promoting innovation (Al Olaimat et al., 2022). Despite the large number of studies that have examined this field, this relationship needs further verification in accordance with market requirements and global fluctuations in terms of external and internal factors affecting the work of institutions. As for Jordan, its economy is considered volatile due to the political challenges and its location, which imposed many factors on it (Aboalganam et al., 2024; Al Htibat et al., 2024; Alghizzawi, Alzghoul, et al., 2024). Therefore, it was necessary to focus on business development and innovation, especially since Jordan is located in the heart of the Middle East and represents a strategic role for the region as a whole, despite the political challenges that are reflected in the Jordanian economy. This reinforces the importance of studying the relationship between strategic improvisation and innovative behavior, especially in Jordan. Through the current study, we seek to verify the relationship between strategic improvisation and innovative behavior by reviewing previous relevant literature and discovering the most important findings about the impact of strategic improvisation and innovative behavior, and this is what ensures the achievement of added value in the market (Elareshi et al., 2024). The current study will address previous studies and then review the relationships, the most important variables, and the latest discussions and recommendations. Finally, the study of economic, cultural, and social factors will also be addressed as external and internal factors that affect strategic improvisation and innovative behavior. This will provide more insight into how Jordanian business institutions can deal with the existing changes and challenges by promoting innovation. 2. Methods In order to achieve the goal of the study on researching the relationship between strategic improvisation and innovative behavior. The descriptive approach was relied upon, as it is considered one of the most appropriate approaches in the human sciences, especially since the study is in the field of administrative sciences, and this is what many studies have recommended adopting this approach (Albloush et al., 2024; Alhanatleh et al., 2023, 2024; Alharafsheh et al., 2023; Alkhlaifat et al., 2024; Alshaketheep et al., 2023; Megdadi et al., 2023). In addition, the study will review the external and internal factors affecting the relationship between strategic improvisation and innovative behavior, and this requires a logical analysis of previous studies, as the study showed (Al Jwaniat et al., 2024; Creswell et al., 2003; Creswell & Poth, 2016; Habes et al., 2024). Finally, the study will be divided into previous literature, then discussions, and then the conclusion. 3. Related Study Strategic improvisation refers to describing how organizations allocate and coordinate their resources to achieve their goals (Al Htibat et al., 2024; Falkheimer & Sandberg, 2018). It is also described as strategic directions as simply reflections of how some companies operate (Alhimyari & Al-Murshidi, American Journal of Business Management, Economics and Banking Volume 24 May - 2024 P a g e | 63 www.americanjournal.org 2020; Mamédio et al., 2022). Both of them defined strategic directions as a reflection of the basic principles in the various activities, operations and strategic directions undertaken by the organization that create the necessary behaviors. To achieve superior performance (Bakar et al., 2015). While innovation performance is measured by things like product innovation, process innovation, and overall innovation success, strategic improvisation is the capacity of businesses to adapt swiftly and efficiently to changing conditions (Muller & Peres, 2019). According to (Gojny-Zbierowska & Zbierowski, 2021; Sarwar et al., 2023) research, businesses that exhibit greater degrees of strategic improvisation also typically exhibit higher levels of innovative performance. Additionally, businesses are more likely to succeed in innovation if they take a more proactive approach to looking for new opportunities, acting quickly, and adjusting to shifting market conditions (Al Issa, 2021). In the same context (Alhimyari & Al-Murshidi, 2020)research indicates that strategic improvisation is essential for encouraging innovation in businesses. The relationship between strategic improvisation and innovation performance is influenced by a variety of factors (Alhimyari & Al-Murshidi, 2020). These elements included the culture of the organization, the backing of the leadership for innovation, and the accessibility of resources for creative endeavors (Abrantes et al., 2018). Businesses that had a creative and encouraging culture in addition to strong leadership backing were better equipped to use strategic improvisation as a tool for innovation (Sun et al., 2023). Since strategic improvisation is seen as a catalyst for innovation and highlights the importance of organizational culture and leadership in creating an environment that supports both, the relationship between strategic improvisation and innovative performance in the corporate setting is generally significant. For managers and policy makers looking to boost innovation and competitiveness in local and global enterprises, these findings have significant ramifications (Martinez et al., 2023). At all organizational levels and across all industries, there is a robust positive correlation between strategic improvisation and innovative behavior (Gojny-Zbierowska & Zbierowski, 2021). One key sign of innovative behavior in these organizations is strategic improvisation, which is the capacity of businesses to act quickly and adaptably in the face of changing conditions (Mamédio et al., 2022). High strategic improvisation firms are also more likely to take part in innovative endeavors including market expansion, process optimization, and new product development (Peñarroya-Farell & Miralles, 2022). In addition, a number of variables, such as the degree of environmental uncertainty, the company's entrepreneurial drive, and availability to financial resources, influence the relationship between strategic improvisation and inventive behavior. Businesses are more capable when they have a strong focus on entrepreneurship, adequate funding, and a stable external environment. to gain from utilizing strategic improvisation to improve imaginative conduct (Gojny-Zbierowska & Zbierowski, 2021). All businesses exhibit innovative behavior because of strategic improvisation, which also offers practitioners and policymakers insightful information (Hughes et al., 2020). Through acknowledging the significance of strategic improvisation and its function in fostering innovation, policymakers can formulate policies and initiatives that foster entrepreneurship and augment competitiveness in the corporate domain (Arias-Pérez & Cepeda-Cardona, 2022). Similarly, practitioners can make use of these results to create plans that encourage creative thinking and strategic improvisation in their companies (Arias-Pérez & Cepeda-Cardona, 2022). According to (Alwi et al., 2018) study, innovative behavior enhances the business of companies in all markets and sectors. The innovative mindset of managers is considered to have an important role in enhancing American Journal of Business Management, Economics and Banking Volume 24 May - 2024 P a g e | 64 www.americanjournal.org innovative behaviors. The figure below shows the role of the innovative mindset in enhancing innovative behavior. Figure 1: The relationship between innovative mindset and innovative behavior One of the most important steps in innovation and creativity is idea generation. Success in a variety of sectors depends on one's capacity to come up with innovative and workable ideas, from problem- solving to developing new goods and services (Alwi et al., 2018; Liu et al., 2020) The essential process by which inquisitive and imaginative brains look for uncharted territory, answers to issues, and chances for advancement is idea exploration. It's a complex path that calls for exploration and observation (Berdecia-Cruz et al., 2022; Michaelis et al., 2021). 3. Discussions The examined papers demonstrate how innovative behavior and strategic improvisation are related in the setting of business organizations across all levels and sectors (Abrantes et al., 2018; Al Issa, 2021; Arias-Pérez & Cepeda-Cardona, 2022; Bakar et al., 2015; Falkheimer & Sandberg, 2018; Hughes et al., 2020; Martinez et al., 2023; Muller & Peres, 2019; Peñarroya-Farell & Miralles, 2022; Song et al., 2011; Sun et al., 2023). Thus, we may talk about the most significant findings and ramifications of these research, which indicate that strategic improvisation and inventive behavior are positively correlated. Based on the results of earlier research, we conclude that these findings can help Jordanian organizations become more resilient to the challenges and volatility of the country's market, which is influenced by a wide range of social, political, and cultural factors. Additionally, strategic improvisation can be used to foster innovative behavior and improve competitiveness. On the other hand, earlier research emphasized how organizational elements like culture, leadership, and resources affect how strategic improvisation and innovation interact. Businesses that had creative and encouraging cultures in addition to robust leadership support were better equipped to use strategic improvisation as a tool for innovation. The external environment and market variables also have an effect on a company's ability to innovate and improvise strategically. Strategic improvisation's potential to encourage innovation within businesses is also impacted by external environment stability and environmental uncertainty. American Journal of Business Management, Economics and Banking Volume 24 May - 2024 P a g e | 65 www.americanjournal.org 4. Conclusions The study's conclusions have significant ramifications for Jordanian policymakers and practitioners. Strategic improvisation is a strategic tool that practitioners can use to foster innovative behavior within their organizations, improving sustainability and long-term competitiveness. 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