Determinants of sustainable performance among Oman's utilities companies; the mediating effect of organization performance

Utility companies in Oman play a major role and provide essential services like water supply, wastewater treatment, and electricity to their nation and local communities. These companies bring long-term benefits to 40% of total spending and provide 87% of job opportunities. Despite the various government and non-government support in assisting utility companies to boost their business performance, utility companies still could not achieve superior performance. This is proven by the low contribution of utility companies to Gross Domestic Product, which is only 2.7 % in 2019 and 3.0 % in 2020. The changing economies and globalisation have caused many utility companies to fail to manage their businesses. As a result, almost half of the utility companies went bankrupt, with a business failure rate of approximately 51% from 2015 until 2019. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating effects of organisation performance (OP) on the relationship between leadership management (LM), customer focus (CF), quality management system (QMS), and sustainable performance (SP) in Oman’s utility companies. This study was conducted using quantitative methods, and questionnaires were sent to 104 utility companies in Oman. SPSS statistical package version 28 was employed to analyse the data. The research results revealed that LM, CF, and QMS have positive and significant effects on SP. Also, OP as a mediator has a significant effect on LM, CF, and QMS towards SP. The developed framework of this study can be employed by policymakers and decision-makers. Additionally, the management department in utility companies should consider the importance of this framework when implementing any practice in the future. For future research, it is recommended that a longitudinal study is carried out to evaluate further the impact of LM, CF, QMS, OP, and SP.