Eco-innovation in the UAE public sector: Investigating the role of Dynamic Capabilities for Environmental Sustainability

This thesis concerns eco-innovation implementation in the public sector. It analyses and investigates the relationship between dynamic capabilities and organization eco-innovation that affects sustainability performance. This study seeks to determine the impact of dynamic capabilities on eco-innovation and ultimately on organizational sustainability performance, specifically in public sector organizations. There is a lack of qualitative research on this topic and especially on the public sector of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. This research focuses on identifying dynamic capabilities at one of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) utility organizations, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), and how they work to shape ecoinnovation and sustainability performance at the organization. Concept mapping is used prior to data collection in order to understand the relationship between various concepts of innovation and dynamic capabilities in the literature.

The data collection process focuses on two main sources: observation of processes and interviews with key stakeholders. In the data analysis phase, Dedoose software facilitated analytical coding after completing the data collection process. The Gioia (2004) methodological approach is used to guide the data analysis process. The findings of this research are reflected in the logic model describing five core variables of dynamic capability theory and how they interact to drive improved business performance and business image while also enhancing the ability of an organization to meet its innovation targets and improve sustainability performance. This research was published at the 28th Innovation and Product Development Management Conference (IPDMC).