2025, Vol. 12, Issue 1, Part C

Introduction: In today's world, innovation is recognized as one of the key factors for the success of organizations. Sports clubs are no exception to this rule and must institutionalize creativity and innovation in their processes to survive and grow in competitive environments. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the relationship between strategic meaningfulness and innovation in Iraqi sports clubs.

Research Methodology: The method of this study is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive in terms of type of research, which was conducted in the form of a survey. The statistical population of this study includes managers and employees of Iraqi sports clubs, of whom 143 people were randomly selected as a sample using the Morgan table, according to the size of the statistical population. Data collection was carried out using a questionnaire and data analysis was carried out using structural equation modeling with the help of Lisrel and SPSS software.

Findings: The research findings showed that the capability of meaning-making has a significant effect on innovation in sports clubs in Karbala province, and this effect is strengthened by increasing the organization's absorption capacity. Also, the results indicate that environmental instability and absorption capacity play a mediating role in the relationship between capability of meaning-making and innovation. The relationship model between capability of meaning-making, absorption capacity, environmental instability, and innovation was also significant, and showed that these factors can be integrated to improve innovative performance in sports organizations.

Conclusion: The research results showed that capability of meaning-making directly and through absorption capacity and management of environmental instability, has a significant role in strengthening innovation in sports clubs in Karbala province. These findings emphasize the importance of strengthening organizational capabilities and taking advantage of environmental opportunities to achieve innovative performance.