Strategic leadership and dynamic capabilities in resource transformation: A case study of a sustainability-focused educational unit at a triple crown accredited institution in Germany

This paper investigates the dynamics of capabilities in a resource transformation process by a sustainability-oriented educational unit, in a triple-accredited business school, achieving its mission through providing diverse educational courses, online courses, on-campus trainings, customized executive education programs, and professional expert track certificates, especially for international students. Based on Teece et al.’s (1997) dynamic capabilities framework, we pinpoint the three capability stages that are active in the unit: sensing, seizing, and transforming. By using a qualitative, exploratory case study with semi-structured interviews of three managers at senior, middle, and junior hierarchical levels, we illustrate how the unit uses its dynamic capabilities to adapt to changing stakeholder needs, create innovative curricula, and generate value for students and institutional partners. Findings are intentionally bounded by this exploratory, three-informant design and are presented as illustrative rather than statistically generalizable. The research identifies a critical sensing gap, whereby signals collected at lower levels are not systematically captured or converted into strategic action by top management and proposes a “dynamic capabilities pipeline” as a practical contribution for other sustainability-oriented higher education institutions.