Search Results (535)

This study examines the main dimensions of collective intelligence within Moroccan associations, a sector in full expansion, which has more than 259,000 associations in 2022. The objective of the research is to identify, prioritize, and validate the main dimensions of collective intelligence within Moroccan associations. A multi-tool research methodology was adopted, combining the review of scientific literature, qualitative interviews, and a quantitative study of 125 Moroccan associations. The results highlight six key dimensions of collective intelligence: social sensitivity, autonomy, motivation, transformational leadership, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. Among the dimensions identified, collaboration and leadership have the highest relative weights in structuring collective intelligence. Social sensitivity and knowledge sharing complement this structuring by promoting quality interactions, fluid communication, and the mobilization of distributed knowledge. Motivation and autonomy are also essential dimensions, supporting the commitment of members and the expression of diverse perspectives within associations. The study provides theoretical contributions by adapting collective intelligence models to the peculiarities of Moroccan civil society. At the applied level, the study proposes a set of recommendations, including strengthening capacity building, developing leadership skills, and adopting collaborative digital platforms. The results in their entirety confirm the strategic importance of collective intelligence in improving the effectiveness of Moroccan associations and enhancing their impact in the face of increasingly complex social challenges. Full article

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in higher education is reshaping institutional decision-making, governance, policy development, and educational innovation. Effective leadership in AI-enabled environments requires more than technical competence, extending to strategic awareness, ethical judgement, and the ability to critically evaluate the broader implications of AI technologies. Drawing on survey and interview data from 52 academic leaders across UK higher education institutions, this study examines current levels of AI literacy and explores how AI capability relates to institutional readiness and leadership practice. The findings reveal variation in participants’ self-reported AI literacy and engagement, identify technical, strategic, ethical, and organisational capability gaps, and highlight structural barriers including limited time, fragmented professional development, and insufficient institutional support for institution-wide AI adoption. In response, the paper presents the AI Literacy Leadership Framework (AILLF), which conceptualises AI literacy as a multidimensional leadership capability comprising technical, strategic, ethical, and applied dimensions that support four interconnected leadership domains: innovation, decision-making, ethical governance, and policy development. Informed by leadership theory, international AI governance frameworks, and the study’s exploratory empirical findings, the AILLF is accompanied by a proposed capability progression model and role-differentiated leadership competency guide to provide implementation guidance for higher education institutions. The study contributes an empirically informed conceptual framework that integrates AI literacy, leadership theory, and AI governance, providing a foundation for future research and institutional approaches to AI leadership within higher education. Full article

Background/Objectives: Digital transformation is a strategic priority for healthcare systems, requiring nurses to develop competencies that enable the safe, effective, and critical use of digital technologies in clinical practice. Understanding nurses’ digital competence profile is essential to inform leadership, education, and workforce development strategies. This study aimed to assess digital competence among Portuguese nurses, examine its relationship with soft skills, and identify priority areas for professional development. Methods: A quantitative, descriptive-correlational, cross-sectional study was conducted with a nationally recruited convenience sample of Portuguese nurses. Data were collected using a Digital Competence Assessment Questionnaire based on the European Digital Competence Framework for Citizens (DigComp) and Soft Skills Inventory. Associations between digital competence and soft skills were analysed using descriptive, inferential, and multivariable statistical methods with IBM SPSS Statistics version 30.0. Results: Based on the exploratory classification of the knowledge/performance score, 52.0% of participants fell within the Intermediate and 27.2% within the Advanced proficiency intervals. Adapting and Coping, Analyzing and Interpreting, and Interacting and Presenting were positively associated with self-reflected digital competence. Multivariable analysis showed that soft skills accounted for a larger proportion of variance in self-reflected digital competence than in the knowledge/performance test score; however, the explanatory value of the latter model was limited. Conclusions: Participants were predominantly classified within the Intermediate and Advanced proficiency intervals, although comparatively lower descriptive performance was observed in Safety. The findings highlight the potential complementary role of technical competencies and soft skills in digital capability and suggest the value of further investigating targeted educational approaches. These findings may inform nursing leadership, education, and workforce-development strategies aimed at supporting digital competence and sustainable digital transformation. Full article

Organizations increasingly face the challenge of integrating sustainability into strategic planning and governance systems while ensuring stakeholder participation, accountability, and long-term value creation. This study develops a stakeholder-based governance model by examining how strategic planning processes contribute to the integration of sustainability within organizational management. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining documentary analysis of institutional planning instruments, surveys administered to students, professors, and administrative staff, and semi-structured interviews with seven senior institutional leaders responsible for strategic decision-making. The empirical evidence was obtained from an Ecuadorian higher education institution operating in the context of an emerging economy. The results revealed high levels of stakeholder support for sustainability integration, with positive perceptions reported by professors (89.8%), students (83.6%), and administrative staff (74.0%). The findings also highlighted the importance of leadership commitment, stakeholder engagement, governance mechanisms, performance indicators, monitoring, and continuous improvement in supporting long-term institutional sustainability. Based on these results, a stakeholder-based governance model is proposed that integrates Strategic Planning, Stakeholder Theory, Sustainable Governance, and Organizational Sustainability into a unified management framework. The study concludes that sustainability can be strengthened when governance structures and strategic planning processes operate as interconnected mechanisms that guide organizational decision-making, performance evaluation, and long-term institutional development. This study proposes an evidence-informed governance model derived from a mixed-methods case study conducted at a private technological university in Ecuador. Full article

Inefficiencies and low productivity persist in the construction industry due to limited digital integration and weak data use in decision-making. This study examines how internal data analytics, such as the systematic use of organisational data-like cost reports, safety logs, and project schedules, can enhance decision-making and organisational capability in New Zealand’s small- and medium-sized construction enterprises (SMEs). A comprehensive systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines analysed 76 peer-reviewed empirical and theoretical studies (2015–2025). A thematic synthesis was conducted using NVivo 12 Plus and VOSviewer to identify patterns grounded in Evidence-Based Management, the Knowledge-Based View, and Bounded Rationality theories. The research highlights that analytics tools, including Building Information Modelling, Decision Support Systems, and Internet of Things platforms, enable real-time visibility, predictive forecasting, and coordination, thereby transforming operational data into strategic intelligence. However, adoption barriers persist, with technical interoperability issues, organisational resistance, low data literacy, and weak governance structures, significantly impacting resource-constrained SMEs. The study proposes a strategic framework that addresses four critical domains: robust data governance, leadership commitment and training, alignment with maturity models, and integration of emerging technologies. These domains demonstrate potential for standardisation and capacity building within SMEs, which also have implications for SMEs in New Zealand. Overall, the research provides a socio-technical framework which positions analytics as a transformative enabler of organisational learning, governance transparency, and sustainable performance and could support the development of an evidence-based construction sector. Full article

This article proposes a practice-informed institutional design framework for embedding transdisciplinarity (TD) as an operational orientation in higher education. Building on the Reflexive and Situated Model for Institutionalizing Transdisciplinarity, the study examines how TD can be progressively developed from an abstract principle into an institutional capability through a phased process of conceptual framing, normative interpretation, contextual adaptation, and strategic embedding. The framework is articulated through the analysis of institutional processes and governance arrangements associated with the activation of Transdisciplinary Strategic Areas, through which the institutional architecture is translated into operational practice. The study identifies a reflexive metastructure that connects strategic leadership, academic practice, and emerging TD initiatives through participatory mechanisms and communicative governance processes. Core elements of the model (phased meaning-making, a mediating governance layer, selective investment, permeable resource logics, and reflexive monitoring) highlight a set of organizational design principles for institutionalizing TD. The article contributes an analytically grounded framework for supporting institutional leaders in embedding TD while balancing strategic coherence with openness, reflexivity, and contextual responsiveness. Full article

This study examines how Female-Associated Leadership Practices (FALPs) are associated with firm performance in Ecuadorian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through organizational governance and strategic orientation. Drawing on Upper Echelons Theory, social role theory, expectation states theory, and gender and leadership research, FALPs are conceptualized as perceived leadership practices frequently linked to participative decision-making, collaboration, ethical consideration, innovation stimulation, and long-term orientation. This conceptualization avoids treating leader gender, gender diversity, women’s representation in management, and leadership style as interchangeable constructs. Using a quantitative cross-sectional design, firm-level data from 300 SMEs were analyzed through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that FALPs are not directly associated with firm performance. Instead, they are positively associated with governance quality and strategic orientation, both of which are, in turn, positively associated with firm performance. Strategic orientation represents the strongest indirect pathway, while governance is associated with performance both directly and indirectly through strategic orientation. These findings provide a process-based explanation for inconsistent evidence on gender-related leadership practices and firm outcomes. Practically, the study suggests that participative, ethical, collaborative, innovation-oriented, and long-term leadership practices may support SMEs by strengthening governance quality and strategic capabilities. Full article

Modern industries cannot escape entropy. In this study, we argue that organizational transilience constitutes a fundamental pillar of long-term sustainability—an argument grounded in the automotive sector, where pressure for ecological transition is arguably at its peak. Industrial organizations facing volatile, highly entropic conditions increasingly depend on the relational skills of their leaders to sustain and reinforce resilience. However, these skills remain poorly integrated into quantitative research frameworks. We address this gap by developing a nonlinear dynamical system, built on three coupled differential equations, that formalizes how a leader’s cognitive, conative, and relational competencies shape organizational evolution across five maturity states: fragility, robustness, transformation, antifragility, and transilience. The resulting framework suggests how these combined soft skills may expand an organization’s dynamic carrying capacity through strategic reconfiguration. Stability analysis further reveals that transilience is not simply a qualitative aspiration, but a mathematically traceable outcome of human agency. Taken together, our findings offer formal evidence that soft skills are structural imperatives—not optional assets—for organizational viability in high-entropy markets. Full article

In the burgeoning live stream landscape, manufacturers face critical dilemmas regarding strategic channel governance and how intermediaries’ bargaining ability dictates sustainable cooperation under Stackelberg leadership change. Addressing these issues is vital, as misaligned governance risks severe profit losses, yet standard heuristics fail to capture how leadership shifts disrupt channel coordination and model selection. To fill this gap, we model a manufacturer’s self-operated (Model SO) live stream channel and an intermediary-operated (Model IO) live stream channel to evaluate trade-offs among bargaining ability, operational costs, and spillover effects. Key findings show that in Model SO, spillover and price adjustments transform the live stream channel into a traffic-channeling gateway in which rising operational costs paradoxically boost total profits. In Model IO, bargaining ability serves as a key determinant, as high pit fees weaponize this ability for predatory commission-squeezing, while low pit fees redirect it toward volume expansion, transforming the intermediary into a synergistic partner. Furthermore, bargaining ability shifts pricing from intermediary-introduction to profit-recapture strategies while exerting cost-magnification and revenue-magnification effects under varying pit fees. Crucially, we uncover two Pareto-optimal cooperation zones alongside a non-cooperation zone caused by incentive incompatibility under mid-tier bargaining ability. Extensions show that intensified price competition turns dominant intermediaries into welfare killers and high service sensitivity induces an over-service trap, though popularity cost-sharing contracts restore coordination. Overall, this study fills a crucial analytical gap by establishing precise theoretical boundaries for channel governance, bargaining ability dynamics, and cost-driven functional transformations in live stream supply chains. Full article

Environmental practices are now a strategic necessity as firms face accelerating regulatory, market, and societal pressures to operate sustainably. Yet evidence remains mixed on whether and how these practices translate into superior organizational performance in manufacturing. This study examines how environmental management practices improve organizational performance in the manufacturing sector and clarifies two unresolved issues in prior research: the relationship between environmental management practices (EMPs) and organizational performance (ORP). It further investigates the mediating role of lean management (LM) and the moderating role of environmental transformational leadership (ETL). This study used a quantitative method and cross-sectional data. A self-report questionnaire was used with 260 participating employees from all levels in the manufacturing sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Structural equation modeling (SME) was employed to test the hypothesis. The results of this study showed that environmental management practices have significant and positive effects on organizational performance. In addition, this study revealed that lean management exhibited a significant positive impact on organizational performance and was a crucial element in the developed model. Nevertheless, environmental transformational leadership was not significant and did not support the relationship between environmental management practices and organizational performance. Theoretically, these findings advance the literature by (a) specifying lean management as a central mechanism that connects environmental practices to performance and (b) delineating boundary conditions by showing that environmental transformational leadership may not amplify these effects in this context. Practically, the results suggest that managers seeking performance gains from environmental initiatives should prioritize the systematic integration of lean management routines—such as waste reduction, process standardization, and continuous improvement—alongside environmental programs. Organizations should also evaluate leadership development efforts critically, because general transformational behaviors oriented toward environmental stewardship may be insufficient on their own to enhance the impact of environmental practices on performance. Full article

Whether China’s carbon trading pilots stimulate firm-level innovation remains contested. This study investigates the conditional effect of carbon pricing on green invention patents, moderated by firms’ digital transformation capability. Using an unbalanced panel of 31,048 firm-year observations from A-share listed companies (2011–2022) and a two-way fixed-effects difference-in-differences estimator, we find no significant unconditional average treatment effect, consistent with attenuated price signals in China’s pilots. However, digital capability substantially amplifies the innovation response: a one-standard-deviation increase in within-year digital capability is associated with a 4.6% rise in expected green invention patents among treated firms. The moderating effect is exclusive to examination-intensive invention patents rather than utility model registrations, consistent with a strong-form Porter mechanism. Sub-dimension analysis identifies strategic leadership and digital achievement as the operative channels. The results are robust to alternative estimators, cohort decomposition, and sample restrictions. Together, the findings reframe digital transformation as a policy-contingent complementary asset and extend the Porter hypothesis to an organizational-capabilities dimension. Full article

This comparative case study investigates the impact of digital transformation (DT) on the development of a digital organisational culture (OC) within two distinct university settings: one in Saudi Arabia and the other in the United Kingdom. Adopting a qualitative interpretive methodology, the research examines the intricate dynamics of cultural shifts triggered by digital transformation. Drawing on Alvesson and Sveningsson’s framework, the study explores how changes in the nature of work and the emergence of new collective meanings influence organisational culture within the context of digital change. Through in-depth qualitative analysis, the research offers valuable insights into the complexities of transformation within two culturally diverse higher education institutions (HEIs). The study identifies digital strategy as the primary catalyst for this shift, emphasising that robust leadership and management support are essential to aligning strategic initiatives with cultural objectives. The research further establishes that a digital strategy capable of fostering a digital organisational culture is built upon three key pillars: a culture of compliance, performance reshaping, and a culture of continuous learning. However, existing studies identify leadership, resistance, strategy and training as important DT factors. This study extends the literature by demonstrating that these are not independent variables but interconnected forms of cultural change work through which digital organisational culture emerges. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the complexities of digital transformation and organisational culture change, providing practical implications and recommendations for successful digital integration within university environments. Full article

Background: Lean management is widely recognized as an effective approach to process optimization. However, its implementation in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), particularly in logistics and supply chain contexts, remains challenging. Resource constraints and inconsistent organizational commitment often hinder effective implementation. This study examines Lean adoption, leadership commitment, and implementation outcomes in SME logistics and supply chains. Methods: A mixed-methods design was used, combining a systematic literature review guided by PRISMA and PEO frameworks, followed by a structured survey. A total of 780 valid responses from SME professionals were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, regression, and reliability assessment. Results: Top and middle management commitment was identified as a significant predictor of perceived Lean implementation success. A measurable gap was observed between respondents’ knowledge of Lean methods and their practical application, emphasizing the importance of strategic alignment, organizational culture, and employee engagement. Conclusions: The findings provide practical implications for strengthening Lean implementation in SMEs through enhanced managerial commitment and employee involvement. The study is limited by its focus on SMEs from a single country and the literature retrieved from one bibliographic database. Future research should include broader geographical coverage, multiple databases, and objective organizational performance indicators. Full article

Sustainable construction has emerged as a strategic response to contemporary environmental, social, and economic challenges, particularly in sectors with high resource consumption, such as logistics infrastructure. This study adapts and applies existing sustainability assessment frameworks to the specific context of logistics buildings by integrating Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) sustainability criteria with a Triple Bottom Line (TBL)-based materiality matrix. The research investigates how sustainability practices associated with LEED criteria can contribute to economic, environmental, and social performance within the TBL framework. To support this assessment, a materiality matrix is developed by integrating stakeholder perspectives and the potential impacts of sustainability practices across TBL dimensions, enabling the identification and prioritization of the most relevant strategies for the logistics context. Additionally, the study examines the contribution of LEED-based strategies to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within these dimensions. The main contribution of the study is the adaptation and application of established sustainability assessment frameworks to logistics projects through a structured decision-support framework that integrates LEED sustainability criteria, stakeholder-based materiality assessment, TBL perspectives, and sensitivity analysis to support sustainability-oriented decision-making. Full article

Introduction/Objective: Advanced practice nurses (APNs) play an increasingly important role in healthcare systems by expanding access to high-quality, patient-centred care. However, public understanding of the APNs’ role remains limited, particularly regarding their autonomy, leadership, and scope of practice. In Lithuania, APNs represent a relatively new professional group, and to date, no quantitative study has examined public perceptions of their role, competencies, and professional identity. Understanding these perceptions is essential for supporting the successful integration of APNs into the Lithuanian healthcare system. The aim of this study was to examine public perceptions of the role and professional identity of advanced practice nurses (APNs) in Lithuania. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional research design was employed. Data were collected between October 2025 and January 2026 through an anonymous online questionnaire survey. Participants were recruited using a non-probability convenience sampling strategy. A total of 518 respondents participated in the study (n = 518). Data were collected using the Nursing’s Current Brand Position Scale (NCBPS) and the Nursing’s Desired Brand Position Scale (NDBPS). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and principal component analysis (PCA). Results: The findings revealed that the public evaluates the professional image of advanced practice nurses (APNs) positively. However, it is primarily associated with traditional nursing values, particularly the perception of nursing as “a caring profession” and patient-centeredness. A statistically significant difference was found between the current and desired APN professional image across all evaluated dimensions (overall mean scores: 6.61 ± 1.67 vs. 7.68 ± 1.67; t = −18.426; p < 0.001), with the largest gap observed in perceptions of APNs as patient advocates, educational leaders, and research contributors. The desired image reflects public expectations for APNs to function as autonomous, decision-making professionals who actively represent patients’ interests. A significant positive association was identified between professional image evaluation and trust in APN competencies (r = 0.66, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Participants in the present study generally perceived the professional image of advanced practice nurses (APNs) positively, primarily associating it with caring and patient-centred care rather than leadership and strategic roles. The comparison between the current and desired professional images suggests that respondents expressed higher expectations for the APN role. Respondents reported moderately high trust in APNs, which was significantly associated with perceptions of their professional image. Full article