Pathways to sustainable competitive performance: social entrepreneurship orientation, disruptive innovation and artificial intelligence capabilities

In the era of artificial intelligence (AI), achieving a sustainable competitive advantage has become a pressing challenge for firms. Social entrepreneurship orientation (SEO) has emerged as a pivotal organizational strategy for advancing long-term sustainability. While existing studies have explored the influence of SEO on various performance outcomes, the underlying mechanisms through which SEO enhances sustainable competitive performance in high-tech firms remain underexplored. Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capabilities theory (DCT), this study develops a moderated mediation model to investigate the relationship between SEO and sustainable competitive performance. Based on empirical data from 229 high-tech firms, our findings demonstrate that SEO positively influences sustainable competitive performance. Moreover, disruptive innovation mediates the relationship between SEO and sustainable competitive performance, while AI capabilities moderate the impact of SEO on disruptive innovation. This study contributes to the RBV and DCT literature, deepens the understanding of SEO outcomes, and offers valuable managerial insights for high-tech firms to promote sustainable development.