Article: Creative implementation and technology orientation: associations with perceived performance in Saudi dental practices Journal: International Journal of Applied Management Science (IJAMS) 2026 Vol.18 No.5 pp.1 - 20 Abstract: Small regulated professional-service firms increasingly feature in SME policy, yet practitioner-survey evidence remains limited. Responses from 174 practitioners in Saudi private dental practices, retained after eligibility, attention-check and invariant-response screening, were analysed using polychoric exploratory factor analysis and HC3-robust regression. Two sample-specific dimensions emerged: creative process implementation and exploratory technology orientation. Both were positively associated with practitioner-perceived organisational performance (β = 0.456 and 0.401; p < 0.001; R² = 0.478). Associations remained positive in an authority-only subsample, under alternative outcome specifications and repeated cross-validation. Estimates varied across response-screening specifications, which cannot establish respondent invalidity or quantify common-method bias. Because measures and associations were developed in the same single-source, cross-sectional sample, findings are preliminary and non-causal. They do not establish dentistry-specific or regulatory effects. Independent confirmatory, multi-source and measurement-invariance research is required. The findings support evaluating, but do not validate, management-support pilots combining problem-solving, technology exploration and implementation assistance. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Creative implementation and technology orientation: associations with perceived performance in Saudi dental practices

Authors: Basma Abubakr Khoja; Saja Mansour Asiri

Addresses: Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administration, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia ' Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administration, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract: Small regulated professional-service firms increasingly feature in SME policy, yet practitioner-survey evidence remains limited. Responses from 174 practitioners in Saudi private dental practices, retained after eligibility, attention-check and invariant-response screening, were analysed using polychoric exploratory factor analysis and HC3-robust regression. Two sample-specific dimensions emerged: creative process implementation and exploratory technology orientation. Both were positively associated with practitioner-perceived organisational performance (β = 0.456 and 0.401; p < 0.001; R² = 0.478). Associations remained positive in an authority-only subsample, under alternative outcome specifications and repeated cross-validation. Estimates varied across response-screening specifications, which cannot establish respondent invalidity or quantify common-method bias. Because measures and associations were developed in the same single-source, cross-sectional sample, findings are preliminary and non-causal. They do not establish dentistry-specific or regulatory effects. Independent confirmatory, multi-source and measurement-invariance research is required. The findings support evaluating, but do not validate, management-support pilots combining problem-solving, technology exploration and implementation assistance.

Keywords: creative process implementation; exploratory technology orientation; perceived organisational performance; professional-service firms; dental practices; Saudi Arabia.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAMS.2026.156854

International Journal of Applied Management Science, 2026 Vol.18 No.5, pp.1 - 20

Received: 14 Aug 2026
Accepted: 23 Sep 2026
Published online: 08 Oct 2026 *

Title: Creative implementation and technology orientation: associations with perceived performance in Saudi dental practices

Keep up-to-date