The effect of technological innovation and knowledge management process on organisational agility in public higher education in UAE: the mediating role of sustainable performance

Organisational agility is one of the critical issues for organisational survival in recent years. Key contributors to this agility include technological innovation, knowledge management process and sustainable performance. However, limited studies have examined these relationships in the context of developing countries. This study investigates the impact of technological innovation, knowledge management processes, and sustainable performance (SP) on organisational agility (OA) within universities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Employing the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Knowledge-Based View (KBV) as theoretical frameworks, this research explores how technological, and knowledge assets can be leveraged to enhance sustainability and agility in higher education institutions. Data were collected through questionnaires from managerial staff and lecturers using stratified random sampling. A total of 319 responses were collected and analysed using Smart PLS 4. Additionally, expert interviews with representatives from three public universities in the UAE provided qualitative insights to complement the quantitative findings. The findings showed that both technological innovation and knowledge management processes significantly influence sustainable performance and organisational agility. Moreover, sustainable performance positively affects organisational agility and partially mediates the relationship between technological innovation, knowledge management processes, and organisational agility. The expert interviews corroborated the quantitative findings, offering real-world insights and practical examples. These results highlight that universities prioritizing sustainability not only advance environmental and social objectives but also enhance their adaptability in an evolving educational landscape. The study emphasizes the need for higher education institutions to strengthen their technological innovation and knowledge management strategies to achieve both sustainable performance and organisational agility.