Influence of Intercompany Collaboration for Innovation on Organizational Sustainability of Textile Industry in Rift Valley Region, Kenya

The textile industry is increasingly recognized as a key pillar in achieving Kenya’s Big Four Agenda and Vision 2030. However, these firms face the challenge of maintaining competitiveness in a rapidly changing global landscape. To thrive in the evolving market, Kenyan textile firms must embrace innovation across all stages but there remains a gap in understanding how to successfully integrate innovation for sustainable performance. This study aimed to examine the influence of intercompany collaboration on the organizational sustainability of textile companies in the Rift Valley region. Guided by the National Innovation System theory, the study employed a cross-sectional survey research design, targeting 14 textile manufacturing companies. A census method was used to select 61 managers, while 12 key informants were purposively chosen from innovation-leaning institutions in the region. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. Questionnaire data was analysed using frequencies, mean, standard deviation, and linear regression method while qualitative data was analysed using the thematic technique. Findings indicated that inter-company collaboration has strong effects on organizational sustainability, explaining 62.1% of organizational sustainability variance. The study concludes that to effectively promote organizational sustainability, firms in the Rift Valley textile industry should enhance inter-company collaboration because it a significant effect. The study recommends that policymakers and industry practitioners should foster stakeholder engagement through frameworks encouraging diverse perspectives. Collaborative practices can be improved by offering incentives for partnerships and creating networking platforms.