In today’s rapidly evolving economy, organizations increasingly rely on digital knowledge management (DKM) to fuel innovation and improve performance. However, limited research has explored the sequential mechanisms through which DKM practices generate value. This study addresses this gap by proposing and empirically testing a serial mediation model where innovation serves as the central conduit linking three DKM components—(i) Digital Knowledge Storage (DKNST), (ii) Digital Knowledge-Sharing (DKNSH), and (iii) Knowledge Utilization Through Digital Technologies (KNUTDTs)—to Perceived Organizational Performance (PERPOP). Drawing on the Knowledge-Based View (KBV), Resource-Based View (RBV), and Organizational Learning Theory (OLT), a multi-firm online organizational survey was conducted using data collected from 245 respondents across 127 service organizations in Kuwait. Validated instruments were used, and analysis involved Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis, followed by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to test the complete digital knowledge lifecycle, beginning from archival storage to innovation and organizational performance. Results reveal that DKM practices do not directly impact performance; instead, their effects are fully mediated by innovation. Four distinct mediation pathways were confirmed, underscoring the importance of integrating digital storage, sharing, and utilization into a unified, innovation-driven process. This research advances the conceptualization of DKM as a dynamic process and highlights innovation as the pivotal mechanism for translating digital knowledge into performance outcomes.

Amaç: Çalışmanın amacı açık kaynak kodlu yazılım kabiliyetlerinin benimsenmesinin işletmelerdeki değer oluşturma ve yapısal değişiklik dijital dönüşüm stratejilerine etkisinin incelenmesi ve işletmelere sürdürülebilir, verimli ve rekabet edilebilir bir dijital dönüşüm perspektifi sunulmasıdır. Yöntem: Ampirik yöntemin belirlendiği bu çalışmada bilişim teknolojileri departmanı olan 200 firmanın üst düzey yöneticilerinden anketle nicel veri toplanmış ve verilerin demografik betimsel, güvenirlik ve geçerlilik, normallik ve regresyon analizleri gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bulgular: Entegrasyon ile ilgili kabiliyetler ile dijital dönüşümde değer oluşturma ve yapısal değişiklik stratejileri arasında ve yönetim kabiliyeti ile dijital dönüşümde değer oluşturma stratejileri arasında anlamlı ilişkiler bulunmuştur. Yönetim kabiliyeti değer oluşturmayı, insan kaynakları kabiliyeti ise hem değer oluşturmayı hem yapısal değişikliği etkilememektedir. Özgünlük: Araştırma değişkenleri arasındaki ilişkiler temel yaklaşımlar çerçevesinde bütüncül olarak incelenmiş, geçmiş araştırmalardaki ürün ve sektörel yaklaşımların dikkate almadığı işletmeler bazındaki stratejik perspektif yakalanmıştır. Dinamik kabiliyetler teoremi çerçevesinde açık kaynak kodlu yazılım kabiliyetleri ile dijital dönüşüm stratejilerinin değerlendirilmesi çalışmanın teorik katkısını oluşturmaktadır.

Financial sustainability in Turkish foundation universities is examined through the interaction of revenue diversification, cost management, and enterprise risk management (ERM). It addresses how universities sustain financial viability under funding constraints and institutional uncertainty. Drawing on resource dependence theory and the resource-based view, the study develops and tests an integrated model in which ERM operates as a mediating mechanism linking external resource strategies and internal organizational capabilities. Data were collected from senior administrators in foundation universities and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Results show that revenue diversification has a positive direct effect on financial sustainability, while cost management has no significant direct effect. Both strategies influence financial sustainability indirectly through ERM. These findings indicate that financial strategies do not independently generate sustainability outcomes but require integration within structured risk governance systems. ERM emerges as a central mechanism enabling coordinated financial decision-making under resource constraints and uncertainty. The study contributes to higher education literature by highlighting risk governance as a linking mechanism between strategy and performance and extends understanding of financial management in non-Western higher education contexts. It offers practical implications for strengthening institutional resilience through embedded risk management in financial planning.