Quality 4.0 Systems and Sustainable Competitive Performance: The Mediating Effects of Technological Innovation and Organizational Ambidexterity

Abstract

The study examined how Quality 4.0 systems affect sustainable competitive performance and how organisational ambidexterity and technological innovation serve as mediators. The study was deductive, positivist, cross-sectional, and quantitative. Primary data were collected from 412 managers of manufacturing organisations that used digital quality management techniques and Industry 4.0 technology, via structured questionnaires. IBM SPSS Statistics 29 and SmartPLS 4 were used to evaluate the data. Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, validity evaluation, correlation analysis, and structural equation modelling (SEM) were used to test the suggested relationships. According to the findings, Quality 4.0 Systems significantly improved Sustainable Competitive Performance (β = 0.421, t = 8.763, p < 0.001). Technological Innovation (β = 0.768, p < 0.001) and Organizational Ambidexterity (β = 0.741, p < 0.001) were also significantly impacted by Quality 4.0 Systems. Technological Innovation (β = 0.294, p < 0.001) and Organizational Ambidexterity (β = 0.253, p < 0.001), which partially moderated the relationship between Quality 4.0 Systems and Sustainable Competitive Performance, had a significant and favorable impact on Sustainable Competitive Performance. The structural model showed high explanatory power (R2 = 0.768), accounting for 76.8% of the variance in the dependent variable. Through digital capabilities, innovative performance, strategic flexibility, and operational excellence, the study found that combining Quality 4.0 Systems, technological innovation, and organisational ambidexterity enhanced sustained organisational competitiveness.