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Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Sustainable Work and Organizational Practices

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 1156

Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Interests: entrepreneurship; restorative quality of work environments; technologies and flexible work

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: psychological well being at work; socialization processes at work; models and approaches to intervention and organizational analysis; entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial intentions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Innovation and technological advancement are reshaping the landscape of work, organizational life, and entrepreneurial activity. Entrepreneurs not only are economic actors but also affect agents who influence workplace practices, organizational cultures, and career paths. Within this evolving context, work and organizational psychology offers critical insights into how people adapt to and shape innovation-driven environments. The dynamics among entrepreneurship, digital transformation, and sustainability extend beyond economic impact, influencing motivation, well-being, leadership, and organizational identity.

This Special Issue aims to deepen the understanding of how entrepreneurial activities intersect with psychological processes at the individual, team, and organizational levels. We encourage contributions that examine how digital transformation affects entrepreneurial intentions, work engagement, and identity development. Equally important is the exploration of sustainable business models that align economic goals with psychological well-being, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship.

Suggested themes include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Psychological impact of emerging technologies on entrepreneurial intentions and sustainable business practices;
  • Role of social and sustainable entrepreneurship in promoting individual and collective well-being;
  • How education and training in organizational contexts shape entrepreneurial mindsets and competencies;
  • Strategies for integrating sustainability into organizational culture, leadership, and HR practices;
  • Influence of individual differences and contextual factors (e.g., values, identity, workplace climate) on sustainable entrepreneurial behavior;
  • Generational perspectives and social representations related to entrepreneurship and sustainability;
  • Balance between individual well-being and organizational objectives in entrepreneurial contexts;
  • Interplay among innovation, skill development, and psychological resilience in entrepreneurial ecosystems.

We invite interdisciplinary and empirically grounded contributions that bridge entrepreneurship research with core themes in work and organizational psychology, particularly in support of sustainable development.

Dr. Diego Bellini
Dr. Barbara Barbieri
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-anonymized 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

  • work and organizational psychology
  • entrepreneurship
  • innovation
  • sustainable work practices
  • psychological well-being
  • skills
  • identity

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

23 pages, 1725 KB  
Article
Mentoring Patterns in Business Incubators: A Typology and Organizational Maturity Model from Spain
by Ana Asensio-Ciria, Carmen De-Pablos-Heredero, Jose Luis Montes Botella and Antón García Martínez
Sustainability 2026, 18(11), 5407; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18115407 - 28 May 2026
Viewed by 519
Abstract
This research mapped mentoring typologies implemented by business incubators in Spain and examined the role of these typologies in fostering sustainable entrepreneurship. Using a quantitative multivariate approach, this study identified and classified mentoring models on the basis of 28 variables related to the [...] Read more.
This research mapped mentoring typologies implemented by business incubators in Spain and examined the role of these typologies in fostering sustainable entrepreneurship. Using a quantitative multivariate approach, this study identified and classified mentoring models on the basis of 28 variables related to the mentoring process. The analysis drew on data from the Funcas 2025 survey of Spanish business incubators, which provided detailed information on mentoring practices across the participating incubators (initial responses: n = 100; final analytical sample after listwise deletion of missing values: n = 93). Principal component analysis was applied to extract the main latent dimensions underlying mentoring activities, and cluster analysis was subsequently used to group incubators into homogeneous mentoring typologies. The analysis identified three distinct mentoring profiles: (i) advanced mentoring, characterized by formalized programs with systematic evaluation, rigorous mentor selection, and continuous training; (ii) moderate mentoring, defined by partial integration into incubation services and the use of basic monitoring and evaluation mechanisms; and (iii) incipient mentoring, grounded ad hoc interactions, low formalization, and the absence of structured evaluation systems. Incubators with structured, continuous, and expert-driven mentoring systems were associated with higher entrepreneurial survival rates and stronger contributions to sustainable business development. From a public policy perspective, the findings highlighted mentoring as a strategic policy instrument for advancing Sustainable Development Goals related to Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8), Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG 9), and Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11). The proposed mentoring typology provided an evidence-based framework to support differentiated incubation policies, improve the targeting of public resources, and design stage-specific mentoring interventions. By moving beyond uniform policy approaches, public authorities can more effectively strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems and promote resilient, innovative, and sustainable territorial development. Full article
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