Investigating the Effect of Dynamic Information Technology Capabilities and Competitive Intelligence on the Sustainable Competitive Advantage of Managers of Non-Governmental Secondary Schools in West Azerbaijan Province: The Mediating Role of Organizational Agility

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of dynamic information technology capabilities and competitive intelligence on the sustainable competitive advantage of managers of non-governmental secondary schools in West Azerbaijan Province, with organizational agility as a mediating variable. In terms of purpose, the study was applied, and in terms of methodology, it employed a descriptive-correlational design based on structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of 263 managers of non-governmental secondary schools in West Azerbaijan Province, from whom 170 participants were selected as the sample using the Cochran formula and random sampling. Data were collected using four standardized instruments: the Dynamic Information Technology Capabilities Questionnaire developed by Mikalef and Pateli (2017), consisting of 20 items; the Competitive Intelligence Questionnaire developed by Rouach and Santi (2001), consisting of 22 items; the Sustainable Competitive Advantage Questionnaire developed by Singh (2012), consisting of 22 items; and the Organizational Agility Questionnaire developed by Sharifi and Yang (2000), consisting of 28 items. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and SmartPLS software, and the direct and indirect relationships among the variables, as well as the mediating role of organizational agility, were examined. The findings of the structural model indicated that dynamic information technology capabilities and competitive intelligence had positive and significant effects on organizational agility and sustainable competitive advantage. Furthermore, organizational agility had a positive and significant effect on sustainable competitive advantage. The results of the indirect effects analysis also indicated that organizational agility played a significant mediating role in the relationship between dynamic information technology capabilities and sustainable competitive advantage, as well as in the relationship between competitive intelligence and sustainable competitive advantage. Accordingly, creating sustainable competitive advantage in non-governmental schools cannot be achieved solely through access to technology or the possession of competitive information; rather, it requires the ability of schools to transform these capabilities into rapid, flexible, and context-appropriate responses to environmental changes. Overall, the findings emphasize the importance of simultaneously developing technological capabilities, competitive intelligence, and organizational agility to enhance the sustainable competitive position of non-governmental secondary schools.