Abstract

The upper echelons theory postulates that the cognitive frameworks of top executives shape organizational decisions and behaviors. Based on this theory, this study contributes to the literature by analyzing the effects of the chief executive officer’s (CEO) political ideology and political climate on variations in the market value of tourism firms resulting from their innovation activities. An empirical application was conducted on major U.S. hotel companies that have traded on the stock market for the last 25 years (1998–2022) and made innovation-related announcements. This application shows that, although the implementation of innovative activities positively affects a firm’s market value, both the CEO’s political ideology and the political climate influence the degree of change in the said market value. This study has fundamental theoretical implications for upper echelons theory by improving the understanding of how cognitive diversity derived from political ideology influences decision-making and its outcomes.

Introduction

Do the values of chief executive officers (CEOs) of publicly traded tourism companies influence their behavior? To what extent can these personal beliefs influence the effect of innovation on the market value of the companies they lead? Does the national political climate affect stock profitability when tourism organizations undertake innovative actions?

Innovation has been widely recognized as a critical element for tourism and hospitality companies and emerges as an indispensable strategic factor for their long-term success and growth (Gao & Zhang, 2023; Martínez-Ros & Orfila-Sintes, 2009; Pikkemaat et al., 2019; Sundbo et al., 2007; Vu & Hartley, 2022). Tourism literature has highlighted multiple benefits associated with innovation: it enables the tourism sector to be more resilient, productive, and adaptable (Zenker & Kock, 2020); it helps cope with an increasingly competitive and uncertain environment (Gao & Zhang, 2023; Martínez-Ros & Orfila-Sintes, 2009; Vu & Hartley, 2022); it facilitates the creation of new products and tourist experiences (or improves the quality and efficiency of existing processes and services) that contribute to stimulating demand and increasing business performance (Hall & Williams, 2019; Hjalager, 2010; Nicolau & Santa-María, 2013a, 2013b; Raad et al., 2023; Sharma et al., 2021; Zach et al., 2020); and it helps tourism companies grow (Love et al., 2011) and remain competitive (Aldebert et al., 2011; Martín-Rios & Ciobanu, 2019; Pikkemaat et al., 2019). In the context of hotel management, Chen (2011) states that “innovation appears to be the only means for an organization to convert change into opportunities and thus succeed [in the market]” (p. 64).

Conclusions

This study has assessed the potential effects of a CEO’s political ideology on the abnormal returns resulting from hotels’ innovations investments. In particular, the empirical application looks into the major U.S. hotel companies that have traded on the stock market for the last 25 years (1998–2022) and made innovation-related announcements. The results show that, although the implementation of innovation activities positively affects the market value of hotels, a CEO’s political ideology affects the level of reaction on the part of shareholders. Specifically, the implementation of innovation activities by hotel companies led by liberal CEOs (compared with those led by conservative CEOs) results in low abnormal returns. Moreover, when a liberal party has greater control over the governing bodies than a conservative party, the implementation of innovation activities leads to high positive effects on a hotel’s market value.

These results have relevant theoretical implications. First, this study represents a significant advancement in the literature related to tourism innovation, as it strengthens the connection between the hospitality industry and political ideology. While existing literature has highlighted that political decisions profoundly impact the development of tourism activities (including innovation), this study goes a step further by revealing that hotels must consider the ideology of their CEOs as a critical factor when evaluating and implementing tourism innovations. The political beliefs of these top executives significantly influence the ability of hotels to generate positive abnormal returns through the announcement of any innovative initiative. This approach not only optimizes the positive impact associated with innovations in the stock market but also provides a pathway for companies in the sector to increase their market value in an increasingly dynamic and complex competitive environment.

Abstract

Although knowledge drives organizational growth, limited teamwork skills have hindered effective knowledge sharing and utilization across departments and individuals in higher education institutions (HEIs). Thus, this paper develops a pertinent knowledge-intensive teamworking model for HEIs. Educational background, leadership, and social media adoption were independent variables, while knowledge acquisition, development, application, revision, and knowledge-intensive teamwork were dependent variables. Using an online questionnaire, a quantitative investigation of 918 people across different HEIs tested hypotheses based on PLS-SEM findings. Results showed that educational background, leadership, and social media adoption are integral enablers in smoothing knowledge management operations, while the synergistic combination of process phases drives teamwork. Consequently, outcomes establish foundations for fostering a continuous learning culture, accountability, and cooperation in HEIs.

Introduction

Most management and technology research has focused on the technical efficiency of social media [1]. Information technology revolutionized education over three decades ago, and more recent research has examined various impacts on the workplace, such as training and communication [2,3]. Social media adoption in higher education institutions (HEIs) depends on strategic aims, resources, and cultural factors [4]. Furthermore, the adoption of technology by HEIs is contingent on organizational strategy and differs among HEIs in the same education system [5]. The use of social media in education has drawn interdisciplinary interest [6,7] as HEIs shift communication from one-way to interactive to regularly engage stakeholders [8]. Continual society-wide communication needs frequent updates across media, especially social platforms. Different methods can shape how HEIs utilize social media as key channels, enabling stakeholder conversations. Communication frequently starts on blogging platforms and spreads across media as users access multiple integrated channels, facilitating tailored, multi-way exchanges without time barriers.

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated remote work and learning, disrupting traditional HEI teamwork models and requiring new virtual collaboration approaches [9]. This research extends knowledge management theory by examining how social media enables leadership, knowledge sharing, and co-development in virtual teams. Specifically, it provides empirical support for the knowledge management cycle model of Kang and Hau [10] by demonstrating how social media can facilitate key stages of knowledge acquisition, sharing, and revision in virtual settings. The findings reveal how social media-enabled leadership, through modeling knowledge-sharing practices and incentivizing participation, is critical for overcoming motivational barriers to collaborative knowledge activities online [11]. This paper advances the theoretical understanding of the interconnected relationships between social media adoption, leadership influence, and iterative knowledge improvement critical for virtual team effectiveness in higher education institutions. Moreover, a key contribution is providing empirical evidence on the affordances of different social media platforms for enabling specific collaborative activities in virtual HEI teams. The findings provide actionable guidance to HEI leaders on effective social media policies and professional development to optimize virtual teamwork. This research also contributes a new conceptual model of social media-enabled knowledge-intensive teamwork tailored to the HEI context.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted higher education institutions, catalyzing a shift towards remote and online learning. In this context, social media has become an integral platform enabling knowledge-intensive teamwork, allowing seamless communication and collaboration regardless of location. Specifically, social media can promote the development of such teams in several key ways. Online discussions and forums can be leveraged to share information and resources, discuss ideas, brainstorm solutions, and provide feedback among team members. Video conferencing tools facilitate virtual meetings and presentations, helping members stay connected and engaged. Additionally, knowledge management systems allow the centralized sharing and accessing of documents while tracking progress – optimizing coordination. Consequently, social media facilitates effective knowledge-intensive teamwork in higher education after COVID-19 by providing ubiquitous channels for cooperation.

In conclusion, high-performing knowledge-based teams in higher education are predicated on an innovation-centric framework requiring integrated organizational and procedural alignment. Positive relationships among knowledge skill-building, leadership support, and cultural enablement underscore the need to embed holistically developmental, technological, and structural conditions that foster learning and innovative capacity at individual and team levels. Internally, sustained idea flows via cooperation enable continuous adaptation and improvement as contexts shift.

Abstract

This dataset delves into the intricate dynamics linking organizational commitment (OC) and job performance (JP) within the realm of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). Centering on the water supply industry, it seeks to unravel the nuances of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) in an economy oriented by socialist values. The compilation of this dataset represents a balanced integration of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, incorporating insights from expert interviews alongside data gathered from employee surveys. It encompasses 336 valid responses, which have been meticulously analyzed through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). This approach facilitates a deeper understanding of the interconnections between OC, OCB, and EP. The dataset is instrumental in highlighting the pivotal role of professional integrity and voluntary dedication within SOEs, underscoring their critical function in representing state interests and effectively serving the public.

Background

The dataset presents an in-depth exploration of the raw data related to the intricate relationship between organizational commitment (OC) and job performance (JP) in State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), with a specific focus on the water supply sector. This sector is highlighted for its pivotal role in public service and the socialist market economy. The data provides insights into how various forms of organizational commitment—emotional, continuous, and normative—affect employee behavior and performance in SOEs. A key aspect of the dataset is its analysis of Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) and its impact on employee engagement and contributions beyond formal job requirements, underscoring its importance in public sector service delivery. The dataset is unique in its use of hybrid methods combining both qualitative and quantitative data, offering a comprehensive view of the factors influencing SOE employee commitment, civic behaviors, and their subsequent effects on organizational performance, which are essential for informed policymaking, effective management, and enhancing the efficiency of the public sector.

Experimental Design, Materials and Methods

This research adopted a mixed-methods approach to gain a comprehensive understanding of organizational commitment within the water supply industry by seamlessly integrating qualitative and quantitative methodologies. First, a comprehensive review of relevant literature guided the development of key constructs, and questions were crafted to capture these, ensuring clarity and relevance. The questionnaire underwent a rigorous validation process, including expert reviews and pilot testing with a group representative of the study population, leading to refinements based on the feedback received. In the initial qualitative phase of data collection, a series of in-depth one-on-one discussions with a select group of five experts, including two seasoned professionals from the water supply sector and three scientists, were conducted. These discussions were essential for clarifying and refining the constructs related to OC, OCB, JP. The selection of these experts was strategically done, adhering to the principle of information saturation, where the number of interviews was determined based on the emergence of no new information. The insights obtained from these interactions were pivotal in tailoring the measurement scales to suit the specific context of the Vietnamese water supply industry, particularly focusing on Ho Chi Minh City. This process involved a meticulous adaptation and translation of existing scales from prior studies, ensuring the precision and comprehensibility of the questionnaires. These refined scales subsequently formed the basis of a preliminary questionnaire, which was further evaluated and improved through a focused group discussion with seven key personnel from the Saigon Water Corporation. This phase was crucial in providing a thorough understanding of the context and played an instrumental role in the validation and refinement of the quantitative survey instruments. Through these qualitative interactions, the questionnaire items were meticulously modified and clarified to enhance their relevance and comprehension in the specific context of the water supply industry. After the qualitative phase, data collection was conducted via in-person interviews, email, and an online questionnaire. The questionnaire, which included a declaration on data ethics and confidentiality, had two primary sections. The first part gathered gender, marital status, age, education, and position. The key research variables in the second segment were assessed using a 7-point Likert scale with 30 items Table 8 provides details on the sample characteristics, including frequency and percentage tests.

Abstract

Considerable progress has been made in the field of leadership in recent years. However, we argue that this is undermined by a strong residual commitment to an older set of ideas which have been repeatedly debunked but which nevertheless resolutely refuse to die. These, we term zombie leadership. Zombie leadership lives on not because it has empirical support but because it flatters and appeals to elites, to the leadership industrial complex that supports them, and also to the anxieties of ordinary people in a world seemingly beyond their control. It is propagated in everyday discourse surrounding leadership but also by the media, popular books, consultants, HR practices, policy makers, and academics who are adept at catering to the tastes of the powerful and telling them what they like to hear. This review paper outlines eight core claims (axioms) of zombie leadership. As well as isolating the problematic metatheory which holds these ideas together, we reflect on ways in which they might finally be laid to rest.

Introduction

In his award-winning book Zombie Economics, John Quiggin shows that, although considerable progress that has been made in economic theory and modelling over the last century, the field as a whole has been held back by commitment to an older set of ideas that resolutely refuse to die. This is despite the inadequacy of those ideas having been demonstrated over and over again. Accordingly, in the face of copious evidence that they are mistaken, there is a broad class of policy makers and practitioners who continue to espouse the virtues of such things as trickle-down economics, efficient and self-correcting markets, and unfettered privatization of public assets. Quiggin’s core point is that these ideas survive not because they are supported by evidence or by careful, critical thinking but rather because they accord with the interests of particular groups (e.g., venture capitalists, the uber-wealthy, and disciples of neoliberal ideology more generally; Crouch, 2011, Peck, 2010, Stiglitz, 2018). The ideas therefore instantiate what those groups want to believe and to make true. Moreover, “being already dead they can absorb all kinds of damage and keep lumbering on towards their targets” (Quiggin, 2012, p.240).

Unfortunately, economics is not the only domain where dead ideas continue to walk amongst us. In this article we focus on another important realm in which zombie ideas abound: the field of leadership. Indeed, as with Quiggin’s zombie economics, we suggest that dead ideas are particularly prevalent in this field precisely because the stakes are so high. After all, if you control the narrative of leadership you control one of the principal engines through which power and privilege are understood and reproduced — in organizations and in society at large (Gemmill & Oakley, 1992; Pfeffer, 1992).

Discussion: Understanding and countering the threat of zombie leadership

In their paper “When Zombies Attack: Mathematical Modelling of an Outbreak of Zombie Infection” a University of Ottawa research team concluded that a large-scale zombie outbreak would lead to societal collapse unless dealt with quickly and aggressively. The New York Times included the work among its top ideas of 2009.

Mogk, 2011, p.44.
In recent years, there has been a proliferation of upbeat models of leadership that provide normative theoretical frameworks to guide both science and practice. Despite their differences, these frameworks are generally couched in terms that affirm the virtues of leading in particular ways (e.g., through transformational leadership, authentic leadership, respectful leadership, ethical leadership, inclusive leadership, distributed leadership, servant leadership, reflexive leadership, or identity leadership; Alvesson, 2019). Regardless of whether or not these frameworks are valid or valuable, as a range of researchers have noted — and as we noted in discussing Axiom #7 above — the realities that people encounter on the ground are often far less rosy, and routinely fail to live up to the normative expectations that these models create (Cohen, 2016, Cohen, 2016; Schyns & Schilling, 2013; Sveningsson & Alvesson, 2016). As we also noted, this has led to a range of analyses that explain how we can detect aberrant toxic leaders and how we can protect ourselves against them (e.g., Lipman-Blumen, 2005).

Abstract

The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a performance management tool that analyzes the relationship between tangible and intangible assets. Its ability to render business strategy visible has earned it the distinction of being a strategic management model. Sustainability has become an important part of daily and business life today. With the increasing importance given by stakeholders to environmental and social issues, companies find it necessary to evaluate sustainability activities in their performance evaluations. In order to meet this need, the Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) emerged with the addition of a sustainability perspective or parameters to BSC. The number of academic studies pertaining to the application of BSC, which numerous companies and subjects to research have utilized, is inadequate. Due to its hierarchical structure and the necessity to evaluate numerous criteria, BSC is suitable for using multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods. In this paper, an integrated approach consisting of SBSC, the Picture Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (PF-AHP), and the Objective Matrix (OMAX) method is proposed for the performance measurement of companies. The PF-AHP method has been reorganized for ease of application in determining the perspectives, strategic objectives, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) weights within SBSC. Additionally, the OMAX method has been employed for calculating the performance scores. This proposed approach was implemented in a factory operating in the glass industry. The SBSC created for the company includes five perspectives, 16 strategic objectives, and 34 KPIs. PF-AHP method was used to determine the weights of perspectives, strategic objectives, and KPIs to be used in the performance score calculation with OMAX. The weight of financial perspective is 0.267, the weight of the customer perspective is 0.247, the weight of the internal process perspective is 0.191, the weight of the learning and development perspective is 0.161, and the weight of the sustainability perspective is 0.134. The evaluations made by the decision-makers indicate that the company’s performance measurement still adheres to the traditional framework. The performance score of the company is 6.14 out of 10.

Introduction

The concept of sustainability, which includes economic, social, and environmental perspectives, has become an important issue in today’s world in order to cope with global challenges such as increasing poverty and climate change. This situation has brought pressure from stakeholders on terms of sustainability. At this point, the concept of corporate sustainability has emerged. Corporate sustainability is defined as meeting the needs of its direct and indirect stakeholders without compromising its ability to meet their future needs, taking into account both the administrative and operational activities of the organization (Nicoletti Junior et al., 2018). In addition, corporate sustainability also stands out as systematic management efforts for companies to voluntarily integrate environmental and social issues into management (Hansen and Schalteggar, 2016).

National and international legislation on sustainability perspectives is being developed (Kaplan and Norton, 2004), but reporting of social and environmental activities is still voluntary for companies (Huang et al., 2014). However, the importance given to the concept of sustainability will create a difference among competitors (Nicoletti Junior et al., 2018).

For a company to be successful in terms of corporate sustainability, it is not enough to be successful in a single perspective of sustainability. Corporate sustainability aims for companies to make progress in all three perspectives of sustainability (economic, environmental, and social) (Eifert and Julmi, 2022). Companies adopt environmental management systems practices to achieve the goals they set in order to meet the social and environmental expectations of stakeholders. However, these applied environmental management systems cannot fully reveal the contribution of sustainability performance to economic performance (Tsalis et al., 2013). As technological developments towards sustainability are increasing, companies need an effective tool to achieve their sustainability goals (Al-Mawali, 2023).

Conclusion

In order to succeed in their competitive environment, companies should embrace strategic management and measure the effectiveness of their management systems. The BSC has emerged as a performance measurement method to assess this success. The traditional BSC consists of four perspectives: financial, customer, internal processes, and learning and growth. With the growing importance of the concept of sustainability, which defines the measurement of environmental and social performance, the sustainability perspective has been added as the fifth perspective to the BSC, giving rise to the concept of SBSC. Since its introduction to the literature, the BSC has maintained its popularity and applied in numerous companies and investigated in various research studies. The multi-criteria nature of the BSC has led researchers to integrate it with MCDM.

In this paper, the modified PF-AHP method was used to weight the criteria in the SBSC. Additionally, the SBSC was combined with the OMAX method to express the performance numerically. Firstly, a team was selected within the company to create the SBSC, and strategic objectives, KPIs and indicators were identified through references from the literature and the company’s knowledge base. Existing data was collected for calculating the performance score, and based on this data, targets were established. The weights for SBSC perspectives, objectives, and KPIs were calculated using the PF-AHP method with the input of opinions from five DMs. The obtained weight values were then utilized in the OMAX method to determine the company’s performance score.

Abstract

Practitioners and researchers are increasingly engaged and interested in digital transformation leadership. However, the existing literature is fragmented and we lack knowledge of the competencies required by business leaders to facilitate digital transformation. In response, we rely on a literature study and draw inspiration from the Competing Values Framework to identify digital transformation leadership competencies. We theorize four archetypical competency portfolios, which are labeled according to the types of leaders who personify the constituent competencies: the challenger, the bricoleur, the organizer, and the competitor. We draw inspiration from the Competing Values Framework in advancing a contingency perspective on archetypical these portfolios. By theorizing competency portfolios, we contribute new insights into the role of leadership in digital transformation, which requires different competencies depending on the transformation drivers and goals. Our proposed competency portfolio framework serves as a valuable tool for identifying the required competencies and making decisions on whether to upskill existing leaders or hire new ones to drive transformation efforts.

Introduction

The rising interest in digital transformation spans both academia and organizations (Markus & Rowe, 2023). The number of publications on this topic has tripled over the past decade (Hanelt et al., 2021), and organizations are constantly faced with new digital technologies that have the potential to transform business models and organizational identities (Wessel et al., 2021). The growing importance of these technologies has placed digital transformation at the top of business agendas (Imran et al., 2020, Zulu and Khosrowshahi, 2021) and produced an increased awareness of the need for new competencies among business leaders who are strategizing and spearheading digital transformation (Bennis, 2013, Imran et al., 2020, Klein, 2020, McCarthy et al., 2021, Schiuma et al., 2021). Business leaders are increasingly playing a pivotal role in driving the digital transformation agenda (Preston et al., 2008, Wolff et al., 2019, Adie et al., 2022) not only by strategizing and influencing the behavior of employees (Bunjak et al., 2022, Nguyen and Hooi, 2020) but also by leading by example in the pursuit of change (Imran et al., 2020, Zulu and Khosrowshahi, 2021). In short, digital transformation requires skilled leaders (Skare et al., 2023). By focusing on the role of business leaders, we adopt a view of “leadership as a social influence process” (Banks et al., 2022, p. 1) that emphasizes “the activities of an organized group in its efforts toward goal setting and goal achievement” (Stogdill, 1950, p. 4).

Previous studies of digital transformation leadership emphasize that business leaders must be able to recognize when digital transformation is needed (Bharadwaj et al., 2013, Cortellazzo et al., 2019), foster an environment that supports this transformation (Singh and Hess, 2017, Imran et al., 2020, van Toorn et al., 2019), understand the influence of organizational culture on a company’s ability to participate in digital transformation (Müller et al., 2019), take into account how digital transformation impacts organizational structures and leadership (Engesmo & Panteli, 2021), and empower employees to turn strategic initiatives into new work practices (Andriole, 2018, Sousa and Rocha, 2019, Nielsen et al., 2023). McCarthy et al. (2021) identify eight characteristics of digital transformation leadership and provide an initial mapping between these characteristics and C-suite roles. Klein (2020) expands the number of digital leadership characteristics to 23, and Schiuma et al. (2021) present a model, the transformative leadership compass, outlining six competencies “distinguishing a digital transformative leader capable of driving continuous company innovation and specifically digital transformation entrepreneurship” (p. 1273).

Concluding remarks

In this article, we describe the competencies that business leaders need to facilitate digital transformation. We argue that relevant leadership competencies depend on the drivers and goals of the organization’s digital transformation efforts. Based on a review of the literature, we theorize four distinct sets of competencies that leaders need under varying circumstances, something we refer to as archetypical leadership competency portfolios. These portfolios are gathered into a competency portfolio framework (Fig. 1). We label the portfolios according to the types of leaders who personify the constituent competencies: the challenger, the bricoleur, the organizer, and the competitor. These portfolios relate to the drivers and goals of (a) exploring market innovation, (b) supporting operational efficiency, (c) ensuring active stakeholder involvement, and (d) improving competitive positioning. Although there are other categorizations of digital transformation leadership competencies, for example, Zulu & Khosrowshahi’s (2021) taxonomy of different leadership types that range from forward-thinking to visionless leaders, our theorizing constitutes the first attempt at fencing in the digital transformation leadership competencies from a contingency perspective.

Abstract

Purpose
In a rapidly shifting market, organizations seek more diverse and innovative employee development interventions. Yet, these initiatives may have limited impact without employees’ engagement. This conceptual paper aims to propose self-leadership as a value-added strategy for promoting both individual and organizational development.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a conceptual analysis with three case examples. The cases were purposefully selected, aiming to comprehend how the concept of self-leadership has been applied within organizations and to identify real-life examples where self-leadership has been adopted as an organizational strategy.

Findings
This study demonstrates that self-leadership plays a significant role in facilitating human resource development (HRD) initiatives. Specifically, the authors illustrate how self-leadership interventions in companies empower individuals to take charge of their development, aligning personal and organizational goals. When effectively applied, self-leadership strategies positively impact HRD practices in the areas of training and development, organization development and career development, yielding benefits for both employees and employers.

Originality/value
This study addresses knowledge gaps in the emerging field of self-leadership in HRD by providing three companies’ examples of how self-leadership can add value to HRD. The findings offer unique insights into the synergy between self-leadership and HRD, benefiting academics interested in this line of inquiry and HRD practitioners seeking innovative approaches to employee and organizational development.

Purpose and driving questions

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to explore how self-leadership is applied in the organizational context and how it addresses HRD issues, specifically within the three major domains of HRD practices: training and development (T&D), organization development (OD) and CD. The findings of this research will assist HRD professionals, in both academia and the world of practice, in their efforts to promote personal and organizational growth and development. Three overarching questions guided this inquiry:

Q1. What is self-leadership?

Q2. How has self-leadership been used as an organizational strategy?

Q3. How can self-leadership strategies help address HRD issues within organizations?

Conclusion

In this article, we explored the relationship between self-leadership and HRD and the potential of using self-leadership to address HRD issues within organizations. By studying three selected cases in the real world, we demonstrated the positive contributions of self-leadership interventions to T&D, OD and CD, all core domains of HRD practice. Therefore, we propose self-leadership as a value-added strategy for HRD. In addition, we call for more interdisciplinary research collaborations and interest from the HRD scholarly community in initiating self-leadership studies in response to the list of questions we posed. Efforts in this direction will not only enhance our understanding of self-leadership, but also advance HRD scholarship and broaden the HRD impact in the world of practice.

Abstract

This literature review aims to examine the relationship between Green Human Resource Management (G-HRM) practices and various outcomes, including employee green attitudes, employee green satisfaction, client green satisfaction, employee green behavior, and organizational green performance. We reviewed existing literature on G-HRM practices and their impact on the selected outcomes. The review process involved the identification of articles through a systematic search in Scopus and Web of Science databases from January 2013 to December 2023. The search retrieved 2142 citations; of them, a total of 17 articles were deemed eligible for this review. The reviewed literature provides good evidence supporting a positive predictive relationship between G-HRM practices and employee green attitudes, employee green satisfaction, client green satisfaction, employee green behavior, and organizational green performance. However, there is a notable gap in studies exploring the influence of G-HRM practices on employee and client satisfaction. Overall, G-HRM practices emerge as a crucial tool for fostering environmentally conscious attitudes and behaviors among employees, ultimately contributing to enhanced employee satisfaction and improved organizational ecological performance. Future research should pay attention to the mechanisms underlying these relationships and explore potential moderating factors to enrich our understanding of the interrelated dynamics between G-HRM practices and sustainable outcomes.

Introduction

The growing concern for environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility has prompted organizations to adopt alternative avenues to meet these responsibilities (Martin et al. 2014). As emphasized by the United Nations General 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), organizations need to operationalize and integrate sustainability in their strategy, plans, and actions. Therefore, they can address the current and forthcoming stakeholder needs and ensure a better and sustainable future for all, balancing economic, social, and environmental development (Fonseca et al. 2020). Moreover, academic research (Leal Filho et al. 2023) highlights the need for stronger action to avoid major challenges such as climate catastrophe. One way to foster sustainable practices can be the application of Green Human Resource Management (G-HRM) (Pham et al. 2020). G-HRM, as a general term, refers to the integration of environmentally friendly practices into HRM strategies and policies (Ren and Hussain 2022). It is increasingly recognized as a means to enhance an organization’s environmental performance and overall effectiveness (Munawar et al. 2022).

The adoption of G-HRM policies represents a proactive approach by agencies to enhance their environmental and overall performance. By integrating G-HRM practices into HRM strategies, organizations aim to foster positive attitudes, behaviors, and overall performance (Farrukh et al. 2022). Previous studies of the impact of G-HRM policies on employee and organizational performance in terms of green attitudes, satisfaction, behaviors, environmental performance, and client satisfaction provided promising results. The body of literature examining the impact of G-HRM practices on organizational and employee performance underscores the pivotal role that environmentally conscious human resource practices play in shaping both individual and organizational outcomes (Faisal 2023). Scholars such as Ren et al. (2018) assert that G-HRM practices significantly influence employee attitudes and behaviors toward environmental sustainability, fostering a sense of ecological responsibility among employees (Ren et al. 2018). Additionally, research by Albloush et al. (2022) suggests a significant relationship exists between G-HRM and organizational performance, as well as between G-HRM and human capital development, demonstrating that integrating sustainability into human resource strategies can enhance an organization’s environmental standing (Albloush et al. 2022). These findings align with insights from other works, such as those by (Baykal et al. 2023) and (Shafaei et al. 2020), which highlight the positive impact of G-HRM on employee job satisfaction and commitment to green initiatives. However, the literature also reveals nuanced outcomes, as observed in the research by (Aggarwal and Agarwala 2023), which identifies the mediating role of organizational culture in the effectiveness of G-HRM practices.

Conclusions

In conclusion, the reviewed literature provides good evidence supporting the positive predictive relationship between G-HRM practices and employee green attitudes, employee green satisfaction, client green satisfaction, employee green behavior, and organizational green performance. However, limited studies have examined the influence of G-HRM practices on employee and client satisfaction, and there is a need to include these outcomes in future studies. As organizations prioritize sustainability, G-HRM practices emerge as a critical tool for fostering environmentally conscious attitudes and behaviors, thereby contributing to both employee satisfaction and organizational ecological performance. Future research should focus more on the mechanisms underlying these relationships and explore potential moderating factors to further enhance our understanding of the dynamics between G-HRM practices and sustainable outcomes.

Abstract

The digital transformation of enterprises is the key to conforming to the trends of the times and realizing reform and innovation. Digital transformation will change the enterprise risk and information environment, and also bring challenges to the audit business. This study takes China’s Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listed companies from 2011 to 2021 as a sample, starting from the perspective of audit delay, and empirically tests the impact of enterprise digital transformation on audit efficiency. The results of the study found that the higher the degree of enterprise digital transformation, the more serious the audit delay and the lower the audit efficiency. Further research found that in non-high-tech enterprises and when audited by non-international “Big 4” and accounting firms without digital expertise, the effect of enterprise digital transformation on reducing audit efficiency is more obvious. This study expands the research field of enterprise digital transformation and auditing and provides empirical evidence for improving auditing efficiency.

Introduction

In recent years, the digital economy has developed rapidly and continuously integrated with the real economy, becoming a new driving force for global economic growth. International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that global investment in digital transformation will grow at a compound rate of 17.1 % per year, with investments expected to reach $2.3 trillion in 2023. According to the survey, as of the end of 2022, the scale of China’s digital economy has reached RMB 50.2 trillion, a nominal increase of 11.3 % year-on-year, accounting for 41.5 % of the total GDP.1 Under the wave of the digital economy, most companies choose to actively influx, and some companies say they “will not transfer”, “don’t want to transfer” or “don’t dare to transfer” because of their weak capabilities, high transformation costs, and long “painful period” of transformation (Liu et al., 2021). Accenture pointed out in the “2022 China Enterprise Digital Transformation Index” that only 17 % of Chinese enterprises have achieved significant results in digital transformation.2 This indicates that most Chinese enterprises are still in the early stages of digital transformation, and the value brought by the transformation has not yet been fully reflected. Scholars at home and abroad have also done a lot of research on the impact of enterprise digital transformation, but the current research has not reached a consistent conclusion about whether digital transformation brings more positive or negative impacts to enterprises. Some scholars believe that digital transformation improves the accuracy and accessibility of enterprise financial data (Warren Jr et al., 2015), and enhances enterprise performance and value; Some scholars also believe that digital transformation makes enterprise business more complex, increases the uncertainty of enterprise recognition, measurement and reporting (Appelbaum et al., 2017), and brings more risks and challenges. Therefore, exploring how digital transformation will affect enterprises and their stakeholders is crucial to promoting the sustainable and healthy development of the digital economy.

Conclusions

This study takes audit delay as a measurement variable of audit efficiency and takes A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2011 to 2021 as samples to study the impact of enterprise digital transformation on audit efficiency. The results show that enterprise digital transformation will aggravate audit delay and reduce audit efficiency. On the one hand, it may be that most enterprises in China are still in the primary stage of digital transformation, and the challenges they meet in the process of transformation have not been overcome promptly. On the other hand, the digital competence of accounting firms may not be enough. Faced with the challenges of new technology and data complexity brought by the digital transformation of enterprises, auditors cannot complete the audit work efficiently and orderly. This study also further analyzes the moderating effect of accounting firm competence and high-tech enterprises in the study of digital transformation on audit efficiency. The research results show that when the transformation enterprises are non-high-tech enterprises and the audit units are “non-Big 4” and “accounting firms without digital expertise”, the effect of enterprise digital transformation on reducing audit efficiency is more obvious. This also shows that the mature degree of digital transformation of enterprises and the high competence of accounting firms can alleviate the negative effects of digital transformation of enterprises on audit efficiency.

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the role of green transformational leadership and human resource management in organizational performance with the mediating effect of green innovation. The study also proposes the moderating role of commitment to management change. The study used a quantitative research method with a random sampling technique and surveyed 235 managers from the Cement industry across Pakistan. The statistical techniques used to assess the study’s hypotheses were partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and SPSS. The findings show that green transformational leadership and HRM positively impact organizational performance, with green innovation partially mediating effect. Furthermore, affective commitment to management change strongly moderates the relationship between green innovation and organizational performance. In addition, the proposed relationship is based on the resource-based view (RBV) theory. Therefore, Managers and executives should adopt green principles and practices and build an environmentally friendly culture that encourages employees to engage in green behaviors and activities to improve organizational performance. To successfully implement green practices in a developing country like Pakistan, the Cement sector must understand how the cement industry improves its performance and whether employees demonstrate green innovation.

Introduction

In recent decades, scholars have recognized the significance of Green HRM and green leadership in shaping the operational practices in modern firms [1]. In this regard, and for the efficient and effective management of operations, technology advancements, and rising stakeholder pressure have motivated firms to discover and implement cost-effective and long-term methods to improve organizational performance [2,3]. Enhancing performance has emerged as a primary problem for businesses, requiring the effective utilization of organizational resources and adopting environmentally sustainable practices in Green HRM and eco-friendly activities [4]. The significant rise in globalization and social responsibilities demands justifications for adopting optimal Green HRM practices and integrating data analytics to enhance decision-making [5,6]. To ensure the sustainability and advancement of green business activities, dominant policies encompassing Green HRM, innovation, leadership, environmental quality, and social well-being are essential. Businesses can mitigate their adverse environmental and societal impacts by implementing GHRM, green leadership, and innovative practices [7]. Green HRM comprises three crucial components: motivating employees to enhance their engagement, providing them with green opportunities, and assisting in developing their green skills, which are essential abilities [8]. The underlined components of Green HRM address staff recruitment, selection, development, and training with an environmentally conscious focus; the potential for adopting green practices encompasses employee involvement and green leadership [9].

Discussion

Our empirical work has examined the interactions among variables such as green transformational leadership, HRM, innovation, affective commitment to management change, and organizational performance of the cement industry in Pakistan using theoretical insights from RBV theory. Our study has thoroughly explained all three hypotheses and their sub-hypotheses, showing that the performance of an organization can be improved through green transformational leadership and HRM. This improvement is achieved through the mediating role of green innovation and the moderating role of affective commitment to management change. There is a strong and positive association between all three hypotheses.

Our study found that green transformational leadership influences firm performance by establishing a clear environmental vision, motivating individuals to adopt green practices, increasing employee commitment to achieving environmental goals, and encouraging staff to create and disseminate new green practices; these results are similar to past findings [41]. The results demonstrate that transformational leaders who foster their employees’ green practices to motivate them have excellent potential to execute green prospects effectively.

Abstract

The project selection criteria are required for an effective project lifecycle, and the selected projects should correspond with organizational aims and objectives; yet, the organization lacks severely in its ability to act decisively on the problem. Hence, this study aims to highlight the best project selection criteria that are related to organizational success. In this manner, a quantitative survey approach was used, with closed-ended questions distributed to employees in Pakistan’s construction industry. The relationship between project selection criteria and organizational performance was evaluated using structural equation modelling in SmartPLS through measurement and structural models. The findings reveal that a significant positive correlation was found for all the project selection criteria, except for the financial criteria. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that project selection criteria are critical for organizational success; hence, the findings will assist organizations in making better project selection decisions.

Introduction

Organizations choose projects based on the many potential prospects that is why it is regarded as one of the most difficult decisions to make [1] . There are various aspects associated with project selection, such as cost, financial, and time-based criteria [2] and any mistreatment may result in an outbreak of an obstacle [3] , [4] . An organization’s project selection problems develop when there are inadequate resources to take advantage of; hence, project selection criteria are devised to select the cost-effective projects [5] , [6] . A significant part of project management-related research revolves around organizational performance [7] which is critical for the success and survival of today’s numerous commercial and economic operations due to market rivalry for cash, consumers and inputs [8] . Organizational performance is central to today’s industrial activity [7] , [9] and is considered a collection of all the businesses accomplishments which are then committed towards a structural goal for organizations in a given period. The notion of organizational performance is linked with the persistence and achievements of a firm [8] , [10] where several constructs have been linked and studied afterwards [11] . Organizational performance measures comprise several financial measures including budgeting, cash flow cash flow, cost-cutting, and profitability [12] .

The criteria used to select projects can vary depending on the organization’s goals, industry, and available resources. The relationship between project selection criteria and organizational performance is complex and multidimensional [13] , [14] . The influence of project selection on organizational performance has been studied in various fields, including information technology, engineering, and construction. A few studies suggest that selecting projects based on strategic alignment and financial feasibility can improve project outcomes and overall organizational performance [15] , while other studies have found that selecting projects based on risk and organizational capability can lead to better project outcomes and performance [16] . Hsu [17] investigated the relationship between project selection and organizational performance in the construction industry and found that project selection criteria, such as financial viability, strategic fit, and technical feasibility, had a significant impact on project success. Similarly, Lind and Culler [18] investigated that the effect of project selection on the performance of information technology projects and found that effective project selection was positively associated with project success and organizational performance. Beldek, et al. [19] studied the financial, social, technical, and risk criteria in the context of Turkish industries, however, the study was limited to the number of selection factors. Hence, adding upon on their outcomes, the current research has added two more criteria namely environmental and management support criteria in the context of Pakistani industries as supported by Bhatti, et al. [11] .

Conclusion

The relationship between project selection criteria and organizational performance is complex and multidimensional. Few studies have investigated this relationship in service industries and identified institutional, financial, risk and technical criteria as key criteria for project selection, however, still, there is a gap in the body of knowledge that has been covered by this work. Hence, this research aimed to investigate the impact of project selection criteria on organizational performance through a quantitative analysis. Based on the assessment, the general significant finding is the positive relationship between project selection criteria and organizational performance, which confirms previous studies’ findings emphasizing the crucial role of project selection criteria for individual and organizational performance. Overall, the results support the constructs and validate the positive relationships between the five project selection criteria mentioned above and organizational performance. Only the relationship between financial criteria and organizational performance was insignificant in this study. The findings of this research can aid higher-ups in construction organizations in better project selection for their organizations. This research contributes to previous literature by adding two more criteria namely environmental and management support criteria in the context of the construction industry.

Abstract

Encouraging employees to share their creative ideas has been widely acknowledged as a crucial factor in enhancing organizational effectiveness. This research examines whether employees’ idea sharing depends on leadership behavior and how organizational identification and culture explain the variations in creative ideas sharing among employees. Building on social learning theory, this research postulates a positive relationship between responsible leadership and creative idea sharing directly and indirectly by the development of organizational identification; additionally, a conditional indirect effect was also proposed for this research data was collected from the nurses, medical support staffs, heads of departments, and administrative personnel from primary and secondary health care units in South-Punjab. Data from 387 subordinates and their respective 67 supervisors was collected and analyzed with partial least squares (PLS) for moderated mediation, direct effects, indirect effects, conditional indirect effects, and CFA. The results indicated that responsible leadership is positively and significantly related to employees’ creative idea-sharing directly and indirectly through the mediation of organizational identification. Organizational culture positively moderated the relationship between responsible leadership and creative idea sharing and between responsible leadership and organizational identification. Responsible leadership was positively related to organizational identification and creative idea sharing only when the organization has a highly supportive culture and negative otherwise. The relevant sections also discuss research contributions, limitations, and future research directions.

Introduction

The idea of responsible leadership has been gaining substantial prominence in emerging management studies (Siegel, 2014; Greige Frangieh & Khayr Yaacoub, 2017). Leadership possessing traits as responsibility and workers possessing traits as knowledge and experience are crucial resources for firms (Haque et al., 2019; Ur Rehman et al., 2023; Adeel et al., 2023). Responsible leaders are essential as mentors for motivating employees (for instance, through job involvement) (Rehman et al., 2020). Proficient members are crucial in sharing ideas, leading to mutually supporting one another in achieving organizational/ proficiency objectives (for example, with helping measures) (Cujean, 2020). A limited focus is laid on “leadership” and “idea sharing” in response to the initiatives of responsible leaders along with workers’ realization (Starratt, 2005; Adeel et al., 2022). The ability of a leader to inspire subordinates within a work environment to increase desirable inducement (also known as top-down influence) is referred to as Responsible leadership. On the contrary, idea sharing refers to how colleagues inspire each other in an effort to define their respective inducement (also known as horizontal influence) (Paulus & Yang, 2000). The ethical act of a leader engaging, communicating, enabling, and motivating staff to take part in responsible advancement and positive transformation is known as responsible leadership (Liu & Lin, 2018). Idea sharing describes the extent to which employees are enthusiastic about sharing their ideas mutually, in addition to a measure of positivity of perspectives (Cujean, 2020).

Discussion

This study examined the effect of responsible leadership on creative idea sharing, including the intermediary function of organizational identification. Further focus was laid on the extent of to which organizational culture and responsible leadership affected idea sharing. The overall findings on the effect of responsible leadership on idea sharing turned out to be positive and substantial, supporting the first hypothesis, or H1. The outcome of this hypothesis was consistent with some earlier research that produced a comparable conclusion in diverse circumstances (Bavik et al., 2017). Therefore, empirical research has demonstrated that in professional healthcare organizations, responsible leaders inspire their workforce to spread their expertise. The healthcare team can help junior staff members acquire the necessary information and expertise for accomplishing the organization’s objectives by spreading their creative ideas to their peers. H2 was also confirmed, which examined how responsible leadership affects organizational identification, as were the findings of other such studies (Abdelmotaleb et al., 2022). It indicates that responsible leaders create an atmosphere in which people feel comfortable so that they can live on their principles. This study also supported H3, which dealt with the influence of organizational identification on creative idea sharing. The outcome of H3 is consistent with previous research in addition to the investigations that produced comparable results in other circumstances (Conroy et al., 2017; Liu et al., 2021; Abdelmotaleb et al., 2022). Workers are encouraged to offer their expertise due to organizational identification, and this behavior may be crucial in attaining the organization’s objectives. Individuals are driven to exhibit creative idea-sharing behavior because their values are seen as being comparable to those of the company, giving them the respect they deserve and appreciation at the workplace. This research also corroborated H4, which proposed the mediating effect of organizational identification. As there had been no prior investigations on the subject matter, the intermediary effect of organizational identification concerning the influence of responsible leadership on creative idea sharing, the finding of H4 is a novel addition to current work. Nevertheless, the organization identification has been identified as a mediator in other research in diverse situations, and the intermediary outcome reported in this investigation also presents empirical confirmation that the fit between the two might operate as a mediator (Liu et al., 2021; Liu et al., 2016; Zhao et al., 2019; Abdelmotaleb et al., 2022).

Abstract

Exploiting the global financial crisis of 2007–08 as an exogenous shock that resulted in a significant decline in the ownership of foreign institutional investors (FIIs) in the Indian equity market, we find evidence of a causal link between FIIs’ ownership and different dimensions of board monitoring. Specifically, the empirical results suggest that higher FIIs ownership leads to lower board size, busyness, network size, CEO power, CEO pay, and improved board diligence. However, we also document a negative link between FIIs’ ownership and board independence, indicating that FIIs do not view independent directors as effective monitors. In terms of implications, our results suggest that improved board monitoring, induced by higher FIIs’ ownership, leads to higher firm valuation and innovation activities.

Introduction

Although boards are recognized as a powerful internal corporate governance mechanism, their effectiveness can vary significantly (Adams et al., 2010, Tung, 2011).1 This has spurred research into the underlying causes and strategies for enhancing board effectiveness. Implementing effective internal corporate governance mechanisms that enhance board effectiveness is associated with reducing information asymmetry and agency risks (Jensen and Meckling, 1976, Renders et al., 2010). Existing literature provides support to this conjecture (e.g., Brick and Chidambaran (2010) and Conheady et al. (2015)) by showing a positive association between board monitoring, its effectiveness, and firm value.2

Our study adds to this growing area of literature by examining the influence of foreign institutional investors (FIIs) as a source of external corporate governance mechanism on the internal corporate governance mechanism, namely board effectiveness. Gillan and Starks (2003) offer a theoretical argument that growth in FIIs’ ownership should result in improved board monitoring and overall governance of the host firm.3 The literature highlights the role of FIIs in shaping corporate governance due to their substantial ownership in firms. FIIs are able to monitor board and management activities through voting rights and incentives via cash-flow rights. For instance, Bena et al., 2017, Ferreira and Matos, 2008, and Aggarwal et al. (2011) show that FIIs’ monitoring efforts are primarily directed toward enhancing long-term firm performance, demonstrating that FIIs can curb managers’ incentives to overinvest and improve governance, particularly in countries with weak shareholder protection. FIIs act as independent monitors, being non-domestic investors with limited ties to the host firms, thereby reducing agency costs and improving board monitoring quality (Gillan and Starks, 2003, Tsang et al., 2019). They are also more likely to exit investments in firms with subpar governance (Leuz et al., 2009). FIIs’ independence from local political pressure allows them to perform arms-length monitoring and resist decisions that do not maximize shareholder value. Moreover, their deep understanding of global corporate governance practices, experience, demand for information disclosure, and superior monitoring technologies empower them to foster better governance practices and board monitoring (Grinblatt & Keloharju, 2000). Unsurprisingly, anecdotal evidence suggests that FIIs influence board monitoring by removing directors whose decisions do not maximize their wealth and expropriate minority shareholders.4

Conclusion

One of the key trends in the global financial market during the financial crisis of 2007–08 was the “flight of capital” from emerging markets to developed economies. India, one of the largest emerging economies, also witnessed a substantial outflow of foreign capital in the aftermath of the crisis. From an empirical identification point of view, this crisis represents an unexpected negative shock to FIIs’ ownership in India, making it an ideal set-up to investigate the role of FIIs in influencing the monitoring role of boards. In this study, we focus on the four years pre-crisis and post-crisis beginning in 2008 and use different proxies of board monitoring to evaluate the impact of FIIs on the board monitoring of the firms in which they invest.

The literature on corporate governance notes that FIIs, being informed and sophisticated investors, have the incentive and ability to improve board monitoring. Our study adds to this literature by providing causal evidence of FIIs’ influential role in enhancing the effectiveness of board monitoring. Consistent with economic arguments, the results show that firms with higher FIIs’ ownership are associated with lower board size, busyness, network size, CEO power, CEO pay, and higher board diligence. Interestingly, we also find that FIIs prefer lower board independence in India. However, our result on board independence is counter-intuitive but not surprising, given the empirical evidence that managers in emerging markets may appoint directors independent from the regulators’ point of view. However, they are still connected and sympathetic to the existing management. We also find that FIIs improve the performance of the firms through their improved board monitoring role. Specifically, we find that the enhanced board monitoring by FIIs improves both firm value and corporate innovation measures.