Background: Many studies navigated corporate dynamic capability’s direct and indirect effects on sustainable performance. However, there is an empirical literature conundrum regarding the sufficient and necessary condition of corporate dynamic capability that can enhance the sustainable performance of microfirms.Aim: The main goal of this study is to explore the necessary and sufficient conditions for corporate dynamic capabilities that support sustainable performance and to determine if agility mediates the relationships between knowledge sharing, managerial cognitive capabilities, sensing capabilities, and sustainable performance.Setting: This study surveyed 440 Tanzanian dairy microfirms between July 2021 and January 2022.Method: Partial least squares-path modeling (PLS-PM) and necessary conditions analysis (NCA) were applied from the data collected from 602 managers and employees of microfirms in Tanzania.Results: The study confirmed that a higher degree of agility, and sensing capability among employees is necessary and sufficient for achieving sustainable performance of microfirms. Agility possibly confounds the relationships between sensing capability, knowledge sharing and managerial cognitive capability on sustainable performance.Conclusion: Knowledge sharing, agility and sensing capability are crucial for sustainable performance, while other dynamic capability factors are not critically sufficient and necessary for growth.Contribution: The study offers valuable insights by identifying critical levels of agility, knowledge sharing, managerial cognitive capability, and sensing capability sufficient for sustainable performance in dairy microfirms. It also provides empirical evidence of agility’s complementary role in mediating the effects of knowledge sharing, sensing capability, and managerial cognitive capability on sustainable performance.

The South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences (SAJEMS) is a leading South African-based publication for interdisciplinary research in the economic and management sciences. The journal publishes and disseminates high-quality academic articles that contribute to the better understanding of the interaction between economic, environmental and social perspectives as applicable to the broader management sciences in an African environment.

Against the backdrop of China’s growing demand for high-level applied talents, this study adopts Bandura’s Social Learning Theory to explore multilevel factors influencing the quality of cultivating innovative and practical ability among professional degree postgraduates. It constructs an analytical framework encompassing three core dimensions: students’ internal motivation and practical competence, the guidance capacity of dual-supervisors, and the supportive role of practical teaching environments. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) with data from 196 valid survey responses, the research empirically examines both direct and indirect impacts of these factors on the depth and breadth of capability development. Key findings reveal that students’ intrinsic motivation and practical literacy, dual-supervisors’ ethical standards and instructional expertise, and well-equipped, policy-supported, innovation-oriented practice bases significantly enhance cultivation outcomes. These results not only provide theoretical insights into the mechanisms of capability formation but also offer practical guidance for universities and policymakers to optimize talent cultivation strategies. By bridging the gap between academic theory and industrial practice, the study contributes to advancing China’s high-quality, practice-oriented postgraduate education system and addressing industry demands for skilled professionals.