ORCHESTRATING COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: THE SYNERGISTIC ROLES OF STRATEGIC PLANNING, ENTREPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION, AND STRATEGIC AGILITY

Abstract

Studying strategic planning and some factors that may influence success in any business is important for achieving competitive advantages and growth. Therefore, this study examines the role of strategic planning (SP) in enhancing entrepreneurial orientation (EO), sustainable competitive advantage (SCA), and strategic agility (STA) in the hospitality sector, particularly in Makkah and Madinah, Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the mediating roles of EO and STA are performed to integrative models that explain the internal capability mechanisms driving competitive advantage in volatile service industries. This study used a quantitative approach to gather information from hospitality managers across Saudi Arabia. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test direct and mediated relationships among SP, EO, STA, and SCA, using a survey-based methodology and data collected from 286 hospitality industry employees. Structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) indicates that SP significantly influences EO, SCA, and STA, with substantial effects on the firm's overall competitive positioning. Further, EO and STA mediate the relationship between SP and SCA, underscoring the importance of a dynamic, adaptable strategy to sustain long-term competitive advantage. The findings suggest that hospitality organizations must integrate strategic planning, entrepreneurial orientation, and strategic agility to navigate a competitive, evolving market landscape. This highlights the importance of combining deliberative and dynamic strategic processes to achieve sustained competitiveness. Overall, these linkages account for how SP and STA, through EO and SCA, create sustainable advantage, advancing the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Dynamic Capabilities View (DCV) theories in service environments.