sustainability-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Sustainable Transformation on Digital Innovation and Strategic Management

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 9 August 2026 | Viewed by 3390

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Economics and Finance, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, LV-3001 Jelgava, Latvia
Interests: digitalization; sustainability; entrepreneurship; innovation; higher education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Biznesa augstskola Turība, Turība University, LV-1058 Riga, Latvia
Interests: entrepreneurship; innovation; strategy; sustainability, financial management; personnel management; strategic and change management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, titled “Sustainable Transformation on Digital Innovation and Strategic Management”, aims to explore the intersection of sustainability, digital transformation, and strategic decision-making in organizational contexts. It focuses on how digital technologies—such as AI, IoT, and blockchain—can drive sustainable innovation while reshaping business strategies for long-term environmental, social, and economic value. Its scope includes theoretical, empirical, and case-based research that addresses the development, implementation, and impact of digital innovations aligned with sustainability goals.

The purpose of this issue is to bridge gaps in the current literature by offering integrated insights into how digital innovation can be strategically managed to advance sustainability. While existing research often treats digital transformation and sustainability as separate domains, this issue positions them as interdependent forces shaping future competitiveness and resilience. It contributes to sustainability by addressing tools, metrics, policies, and governance mechanisms necessary for measuring and guiding sustainable digital practices. Ultimately, this issue will provide actionable frameworks and multidisciplinary perspectives to support researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in driving sustainable development through digital innovation.

Prof. Dr. Baiba Rivza
Dr. Rosita Zvirgzdina
Guest Editors

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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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.

Keywords

  • sustainable innovation
  • digital transformation
  • strategic management
  • green technologies
  • corporate sustainability
  • digital strategy
  • innovation management
  • sustainable business models
  • technological sustainability

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

20 pages, 1292 KB  
Article
Institutional Conditions for Digital Innovation and Transformation: A Contingent Framework for Smart Technology Adoption in Developing Nations
by Ibrahim Ejdayid Ajbarah Mansour and Abdelhamid Bouchachia
Sustainability 2026, 18(6), 2868; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18062868 - 14 Mar 2026
Viewed by 694
Abstract
This paper addresses the persistent failure of major digital investments to achieve sustained smart technology adoption in developing countries, limiting productivity and business growth. Although existing research identifies institutional weaknesses as a central barrier, it provides limited guidance on how progress can occur [...] Read more.
This paper addresses the persistent failure of major digital investments to achieve sustained smart technology adoption in developing countries, limiting productivity and business growth. Although existing research identifies institutional weaknesses as a central barrier, it provides limited guidance on how progress can occur within such constraints. To address this gap, the Institutional Framework for Smart Technology Adoption (IFSTA), pronounced Eye-f-sta, is developed as a contingent institutional framework linking digital transformation theory with practical assessment tools. IFSTA argues that adoption success depends not on technology alone, but on strategic alignment with specific institutional contexts. The framework is built around three core pillars, governance architecture, socio-technical infrastructure, and adaptive capacity, and explains how their interactions generate differentiated adoption outcomes across five institutional contexts. Localization is conceptualized as a cross-cutting mediating mechanism through which governance arrangements, standards, platforms, and capabilities are adapted to domestic realities, shaping both current performance and future transformation potential. Three questions guide the analysis: how institutional contexts moderate the impact of infrastructure investment; what complementarities and compensatory mechanisms enable progress under institutional constraints; and how digital investments can be sequenced according to institutional starting points. To operationalize this logic, the Performance–Knowledge Index (PKI) is introduced as a context-sensitive diagnostic tool that identifies binding constraints and supports sequenced intervention design. The study contributes a contingent institutional model, a methodological bridge between diagnosis and implementation, and a structured, actionable framework for advancing sustainable digital adoption in developing economies. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

27 pages, 772 KB  
Article
Strategic Digital Leadership for Sustainable Transformation: The Roles of Organizational Agility, Digitalization, and Culture in Driving Superior Performance
by Anas Ayoub Abed Alhameed and Okechukwu Lawrence Emeagwali
Sustainability 2026, 18(2), 837; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18020837 - 14 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1815
Abstract
This study examines how digital transformational leadership (DTL) drives superior and enduring organizational performance through the mediating roles of organizational agility (OA) and digital transformation (DT) while assessing the contingent moderating role of digital culture (DC). Anchored in the Resource-Based View (RBV), the [...] Read more.
This study examines how digital transformational leadership (DTL) drives superior and enduring organizational performance through the mediating roles of organizational agility (OA) and digital transformation (DT) while assessing the contingent moderating role of digital culture (DC). Anchored in the Resource-Based View (RBV), the study conceptualizes DTL as a strategic intangible capability that enables the orchestration of digital and agile resources into sustained performance outcomes in digitally turbulent environments. Data were collected from 284 senior and middle managers across 13 Palestinian commercial banks—a highly regulated sector undergoing intensive digital pressure in an emerging-economy context—using an online survey. The proposed relationships were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.0. The results reveal that DTL significantly enhances both OA and DT, which in turn contribute positively to organizational performance. OA and DT operate as both independent and sequential mediators, uncovering a multistage capability-building pathway through which leadership fosters long-term adaptability and resilience. The findings further indicate that digital culture conditions the effectiveness of leadership-driven transformation, shaping how digital initiatives consolidate into enduring organizational routines rather than short-term efficiency gains. By reframing sustainable transformation as the continuity of organizational performance through agility, digital renewal, and cultural alignment—rather than as an ESG outcome alone—this study refines RBV boundary conditions in digital contexts. The study contributes theoretically by clarifying how leadership-enabled capabilities generate sustainable competitive advantage and offers actionable managerial insights for cultivating agility, embedding digital transformation, and strengthening cultural readiness to support long-term organizational resilience. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop