Resilience by Design: Digital Skills, Soft Skills and Leadership for the Next Generation of Organizations

Dear Colleagues,

In the last decade, organizations have been facing a level of volatility that challenges even the most established management practices. Continuous digital transformation, fast changes in technologies, new skill demands, and rising expectations from employees make it clear that resilience today must be intentional and not accidental. At the center of this transition stands the modern workforce: individuals who must combine strong digital skills with soft skills, or human capabilities, supported by leadership that knows how to guide teams during times of uncertainty. For this reason, the study of skills and leadership in relation to organizational resilience has become a key research priority.

The aim of this Special Issue is to explore how digital competences, soft skills, and leadership approaches contribute to the creation of organizations that are capable of adapting, transforming, and remaining competitive in unstable environments. We invite papers that examine emerging digital skills, the development of soft skills in HRM, team resilience, and leadership practices that support learning, agility, and psychological safety. A central interest of this issue is how technology and human abilities interact and reinforce each other inside the workplace.

We also welcome papers that address different contexts, such as global or cross-cultural perspectives, and papers that deal with current challenges such as workforce agility, digital transformation, sustainability, and diversity. Innovative methodological approaches that advance the field of strategic human resource management are particularly welcome.

To support broad participation, we welcome papers on accessible yet rigorous themes, including the following:

– Digital skills for everyday HR and managerial practice;

– Soft skills that improve communication, teamwork, and adaptability;

– Practical models of employee resilience and coping strategies;

– Leadership behaviors that support hybrid and remote work;

– Digital readiness and skills gaps in different sectors;

– Simple but solid SEM or PLS-SEM applications in HRM;

– Case studies of organizations managing disruption or change;

– Skill development for AI-enhanced workplaces;

– People-centered approaches to digital transformation.

We invite you to contribute your cutting-edge research to this Special Issue and share your insights on how strategic HRM can transform organizations and promote sustainable success. Manuscript submission details and deadlines can be found on the journal’s website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Thank you for considering this invitation. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

References

Awad, J. A. R., & Martín-Rojas, R. (2024). Digital transformation influence on organisational resilience through organisational learning and innovation. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 13(1), 69. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-024-00405-4

Hu, D., & Lan, Y. (2024). The dual path effect mechanism study of digital-HRM on employee innovative performance and cyberloafing. PLOS ONE, 19(8), e0307195. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0307195

Sumadireja, G. C., Dachyar, M., Farizal, F., Ma’aram, A., & Park, J. J. (2025). Identifying Key Assessment Factors for Human Capital Agility and Leadership Agility. Sustainability, 17(9), 3849. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17093849

Tsou, H.-T., Chen, J.-S., Mai, T. O., & Jade, N. B. N. (2025). Soft HRM Practices Fostering Service Innovations and Performance in Hospitality Firms. Sustainability, 17(3), 895. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17030895

Ye, Q. (2025). Digital leadership enhances organizational resilience by fostering job crafting: The moderating role of organizational culture. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 24640. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09144-2

Yu, J., & Xiang, K. (2024). Transformational Leadership, Organizational Resilience, and Team Innovation Performance: A Model for Testing Moderation and Mediation Effects. Behavioral Sciences, 15(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15010010

Zahoor, N., Roumpi, D., Tarba, S., Arslan, A., & Golgeci, I. (2024). The role of digitalization and inclusive climate in building a resilient workforce: An ability–motivation–opportunity approach. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 45(9), 1431–1459. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2800

Zervas, I., & Stiakakis, E. (2025). HRM Strategies for Bridging the Digital Divide: Enhancing Digital Skills, Employee Performance, and Inclusion in Evolving Workplaces. Administrative Sciences, 15(7), 267. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci15070267

Zervas, I., & Triantari, S. (2025). Digital HRM Practices and Perceived Digital Competence: An Analysis of Organizational Culture’s Role. Digital, 5(3), 34. https://doi.org/10.3390/digital5030034

Dr. Ioannis Zervas
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Merits is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.