Green ambidextrous innovation and sustainable performance in Vietnam’s low-carbon transition: The role of green intellectual capital, green ambidextrous leadership, and green entrepreneurial orientation

This study examines factors influencing sustainable performance as enterprises implement green innovation in the transition to a low-carbon economy. Drawing on the natural resource-based view (NRBV), the dynamic capability view (DCV), and the triple bottom line (TBL) framework, it investigates the roles of green ambidextrous leadership, green intellectual capital, and green entrepreneurial orientation, with green ambidextrous innovation as a mediator. The moderating effects of ambidextrous organizational culture, technological turbulence, and resource orchestration capability are also assessed. The model is tested using survey data from 532 managers across 124 Vietnamese manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises. The results demonstrate that green ambidextrous leadership and green intellectual capital enhance sustainable performance both directly and indirectly through green ambidextrous innovation, while green entrepreneurial orientation contributes indirectly through explorative and exploitative green innovation. Notably, green intellectual capital promotes explorative green innovation but does not significantly influence exploitative green innovation, highlighting its role in driving radical environmental improvements. Sequential mediation analysis further reveals that leadership and intellectual capital strengthen entrepreneurial orientation, which subsequently drives green innovation and sustainable performance. These findings provide new insights into how small and medium-sized enterprises in emerging economies can leverage green leadership, knowledge, and entrepreneurial strategy to achieve sustainability goals. A key limitation is the geographic focus on Vietnam’s manufacturing sector. Future research is encouraged to examine other industries and regions, adopt longitudinal designs, and explore additional organizational factors such as green human resource management and absorptive capacity.