Abstract: How state-owned manufacturing enterprises can achieve strategic flexibility during the digital intelligence transformation wave is a challenge faced by both industry and academia. Drawing upon a longitudinal case study exemplified by Weichai Power, this paper follows a “dilemma-change-outcome” logic to examine how such type of enterprises attain strategic flexibility via resource-focused action and digital empowerment through the triadic perspective (Exploitation-Exploration-Foresight). Key findings are: (1) The process forms a unique “decline-startup-growth-mature” lifecycle, highlighting state-owned enterprises’ self-revolution. (2) The triadic capability compensates for ambidexterity’s predictive limitations, leveraging foresight for long-term competitiveness. It integrates stage-specific resource-focused actions (divesting, bricolage, orchestration, concerto), forming ternary resource-focused actions to realize strategic flexibility. (3) Digital intelligence empowers value creation (market, organization, innovation, data), overcoming resource rigidity. This enables four transformations for inter-stage leaps and resolves “gear-shifting” issues to achieve strategic flexibility. The study constructs a strategic flexibility realization model, answers how these enterprises achieve “reaction-foresight” ambidexterity, expands ambidexterity theory, and provides insights for forming new quality productive forces.

Key words: strategic flexibility, triadic, resource-focused action, digital intelligence transformation, state-owned manufacturing enterprise