The Role of Organizational Innovation in Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Universities in Kenya

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this research was to assess the role of organizational innovation in sustainable competitive advantage of universities in Kenya. Specifically, the study examined the role of product innovation, administration innovation, and process innovation in sustainable competitive advantage of universities in Kenya. Design/methodology/approach – The paper adopted a cross-sectional survey design to generate quantitative data to test the research hypotheses. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 57 universities out of a target population of 67 universities accredited to undertake university education in Kenya. Primary data was collected by use of self administered questionnaires which were distributed through drop and pick method to a total sample size of 285 academic leaders selected by purposive sampling. A total of 215 complete responses were used for analyses. Data analysis was by descriptive statistics and inferential statistics using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24. Simple and multiple regression analyses were used for hypotheses testing. Findings – This research provides empirical evidence on the links between organizational innovation and sustainable competitive advantage. Results revealed that organizational innovation, product innovation, administration innovation, and process innovation play significant role in sustainable competitive advantage of universities in Kenya. The research concluded that organizational innovation forms the basis for building sustainable competitive advantage. Research limitations/implications – This research has some important limitations that need to be taken into consideration. The study used a cross-sectional survey design with only quantitative measures which can be improved upon by longitudinal studies with mixed quantitative and quantitative measures. Practical implications – The research has significantly attempted to expand extant literature in strategic management, organizational innovation and sustainable competitive advantage by making several significant contributions.

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