Critical factors for optimisation of performance: the private higher education context in Malaysia

The study aims to determine the critical factors needed for the private higher education sector in Malaysia to perform well under current turbulent business landscape with intensified competitiveness. The findings revealed that strategic agility is crucial for private higher education institutions (HEIs) as it was found to significantly influence organisational performance. In order to acquire strategic agility, these institutions should develop the three critical factors of technology, organisational capabilities, and people. In the case of technology, private HEIs need to be cautious, as new technology adoption could be affected by different organisational types of private HEIs. This study is original due to the potential adaptive agile manufacturing concepts and the resource combination of critical factors that are rarely examined under the private higher education context in Malaysia. Furthermore, knowing the importance of strategic agility enables practitioners to optimise the right resource combination to achieve organisational performance and sustain their business in the future.