Harnessing Innovation, Green Orientation, and Strategic Agility for Business Performance: The Mediating Role of Sustainable Business Model Innovation

Authors

  • Muhammad Ahmar Jamshaid Lecturer, Department of Business Administration, Thal University, Bhakkar, Punjab, Pakistan.
  • Khushhal Mehmood MBA, University of Sargodha, Sub Campus Mianwali, Punjab, Pakistan.
  • Muhammad Arshad Lecturer, Department of Commerce, Thal University, Bhakkar, Punjab, Pakistan.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55737/rl.2025.41081

Keywords:

Innovation Capability, Green Orientation, Strategic Agility, Sustainable Business Model Innovation (SBMI), Resource-Based View (RBV), Dynamic Capabilities Theory

Abstract

In the face of increasing environmental challenges and market volatility, businesses must strategically adapt to sustain long-term competitiveness. This study examines how Innovation Capability, Green Orientation, and Strategic Agility contribute to improved Business Performance, with Sustainable Business Model Innovation (SBMI) serving as a mediating mechanism. Drawing on the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Dynamic Capabilities Theory, the study proposes that firms integrating environmental values with agile and innovative practices are more likely to develop sustainable business models that enhance performance outcomes. Using a quantitative research design, primary data were collected from 360 managerial-level respondents across manufacturing and service firms in Pakistan. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to test the hypothesized relationships. The findings confirm that all three independent variables significantly influence SBMI, which in turn positively mediates their effect on business performance. Notably, SBMI emerges as a vital conduit through which green and innovative orientations translate into sustainable competitive advantage. The study contributes to sustainability and strategic management literature by highlighting the mediating role of business model innovation in green and innovation-driven firms. It also provides practical insights for policymakers and business leaders seeking to align growth with sustainability in emerging economies.

Author Biography

  • Muhammad Ahmar Jamshaid, Lecturer, Department of Business Administration, Thal University, Bhakkar, Punjab, Pakistan.

    Corresponding Author: [email protected] 

References

Abdulsamad, A., Ateeq, A., Al-Zubaidi, R., Al-refaei, A. A.-A., Ali, A. N. A., & Fahad, N. M. (2025). Entrepreneurial orientation and innovation capabilities as drivers of sustainable innovation performance: A conceptual framework for SMEs. In Studies in Systems, Decision and Control (pp. 845–858). Springer Nature Switzerland.

Abid, N., Ceci, F., & Aftab, J. (2024). Attaining sustainable business performance under resource constraints: Insights from an emerging economy. Sustainable Development, 32(3), 2031–2048. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2763

AlTaweel, I. R., & Al-Hawary, S. I. (2021). The mediating role of innovation capability on the relationship between strategic agility and organizational performance. Sustainability, 13(14), 7564. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13147564

Andrade, C. R. D. O., Gonçalo, C. R., & Santos, A. M. (2022). Digital transformation with agility: The emerging dynamic capability of complementary services. RAM. Revista de Administração Mackenzie, 23(06), eRAMD220063. https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-6971/eRAMD220063.en

Bashir, M., Farooq, R., & Naqshbandi, M. M. (2024). The impact of business model innovation and knowledge management on firm performance: an emerging markets perspective. Business Process Management Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/bpmj-08-2023-0670

Bouguerra, A., Hughes, M., Rodgers, P., Stokes, P., & Tatoglu, E. (2024). Confronting the grand challenge of environmental sustainability within supply chains: How can organizational strategic agility drive environmental innovation?. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 41(2), 323-346. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12692

Chen, S., & Yu, D. (2024). Exploring the impact of knowledge management capability on firm performance: the mediating role of business model innovation. Kybernetes, 53(10), 3591-3620. https://doi.org/10.1108/K-01-2023-0166

Clauss, T., Breier, M., Kraus, S., Durst, S., & Mahto, R. V. (2022). Temporary business model innovation–SMEs’ innovation response to the Covid‐19 crisis. R&d Management, 52(2), 294-312. https://doi.org/10.1111/radm.12498

Cobbinah, J., Osei, A., & Amoah, J. O. (2025). Innovating for a greener future: Do digital transformation and innovation capacity drive enterprise green total factor productivity in the knowledge economy? Journal of the Knowledge Economy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-025-02673-1

Dayioglu, M., Küskü, F., & Cetindamar, D. (2024). The impact of business environmental factors on performance through strategic agility and business model innovation: An analysis based on dynamic capabilities theory. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 71, 3656–3670. https://doi.org/10.1109/tem.2024.3353734

Elgarhy, S. D., & Abou-Shouk, M. (2023). Effects of entrepreneurial orientation, marketing, and innovation capabilities, on market performance: The mediating effect of sustainable competitive advantage. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 35(6), 1986–2004. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-04-2022-0508

Girma, L., Oduro, S., Cucari, N., & Cristofaro, M. (2025). Venturing green: the impact of sustainable business model innovation on corporate environmental performance in social enterprises. Management Research Review, 48(13), 20–44. https://doi.org/10.1108/mrr-07-2024-0534

Guo, L., Cao, Y., Qu, Y., & Tseng, M.-L. (2022). Developing sustainable business model innovation through stakeholder management and dynamic capability: A longitudinal case study. Journal of Cleaner Production, 372(133626), 133626. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.133626

Makhloufi, L., Laghouag, A. A., Ali Sahli, A., & Belaid, F. (2021). Impact of entrepreneurial orientation on innovation capability: The mediating role of absorptive capability and organizational learning capabilities. Sustainability, 13(10), 5399. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105399

Mendoza-Silva, A. (2021). Innovation capability: a systematic literature review. European Journal of Innovation Management, 24(3), 707–734. https://doi.org/10.1108/ejim-09-2019-0263

Minatogawa, V., Franco, M., Rampasso, I. S., Holgado, M., Garrido, D., Pinto, H., & Quadros, R. (2022). Towards systematic sustainable business model innovation: What can we learn from business model innovation. Sustainability, 14(5), 2939. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052939

Mueller-Saegebrecht, S., & Walter, A.-T. (2025). Strategic agility—an urgent capability for successful business model innovation? A conceptual process model and theoretical framework. Strategic Change, 34(3), 407–428. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsc.2645

Ogunyemi, F. M., & Ishola, A. O. (2024). Global competitiveness and environmental sustainability: Financing and business development strategies for US SMEs. Int J Manag Entrep Res, 6(11). https://doi.org/10.51594/ijmer.v6i11.1720

Okumu, C. (2023). Effect of strategic agility on organizational performance of Steel manufacturing firms in Kenya.

Peng, B. (2024). Navigating green horizons: An empirical exploration of business practices aligned with environmental goals in the era of sustainable economy. Managerial and Decision Economics: MDE, 45(7), 4732–4752. https://doi.org/10.1002/mde.4284

Reed, J. H. (2021). Strategic agility and the effects of firm age and environmental turbulence. Journal of Strategy and Management, 14(2), 129–149. https://doi.org/10.1108/jsma-07-2020-0178

Sagar, S. (2023). Innovation and sustainability in business: Navigating the future landscape. IOSR Journal of Business and Management, 25(12), 51-60. https://doi.org/10.9790/487X-2512055160

Saytari, M. B., Saab, A. E., Haidar, C. G., Barakat, E. T., Idriss, L. I., Nemer, L. I., ... & El Nemar, S. (2025). New Product Development: A Blended Approach of RBV and DCT. In Navigating Business Through Essential Sustainable Strategies (pp. 163-188). IGI Global.

Shams, R., Vrontis, D., Belyaeva, Z., Ferraris, A., & Czinkota, M. R. (2021). Strategic agility in international business: A conceptual framework for “agile” multinationals. Journal of International Management, 27(1), 100737. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2020.100737

Shaukat, F., Zaman, H. M. F., & Souvanhxay, P. (2023). The interplay of eco-innovation and market uncertainty on green marketing orientation and business performance. Marketing i menedžment innovacij, 14(4), 48-68. http://hdl.handle.net/11159/652850

Tuan, L. T. (2023). Fostering green product innovation through green entrepreneurial orientation: The roles of employee green creativity, green role identity, and organizational transactive memory system. Business Strategy and the Environment, 32(1), 639–653. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3165

Venter, E., & Hayidakis, H. (2021). Determinants of innovation and its impact on financial performance in South African family and non-family small and medium-sized enterprises. The Southern African Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/sajesbm.v13i1.414

Xiao, J., Zeng, P., & Niu, L. (2025). Green strategy orientation and competitiveness: an optimal distinctiveness perspective. Management Decision. https://doi.org/10.1108/md-12-2023-2397

Yin, S., Yu, Y., & Zhang, N. (2024). The effect of digital green strategic orientation on digital green innovation performance: From the perspective of digital green business model innovation. SAGE Open, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241261130

Zhou, N., Pan, L., Tian, Y., Zhu, N., Cai, X., & Gao, J. (2023). How sustainable business model innovation and green technology innovation interact to affect sustainable corporate performance. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 11, 1049295. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1049295

Zvarimwa, C., & Zimuto, J. (2022). Valuable, rare, inimitable, non-substitutable and exploitable (VRINE) resources on competitive advantage. International Journal of Business & Management Sciences, 8(1), 9-22. http://dx.doi.org/10.53555/ephbms.v8i1.1915

Downloads

Published

2025-03-30

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Jamshaid, M. A., Mehmood, K., & Arshad, M. (2025). Harnessing Innovation, Green Orientation, and Strategic Agility for Business Performance: The Mediating Role of Sustainable Business Model Innovation. Regional Lens, 4(1), 264-273. https://doi.org/10.55737/rl.2025.41081