Factors influencing innovation performance in higher education institutions

Cultivating sustainable environmental performance: The role of green talent management, transformational leadership, and employee engagement with green initiatives

BACKGROUND

The success of organizations' sustainable performance mainly depends on their human resource capital and for this organizations now need to focus on green human capital development programs including green talent management (GTM). GTM entails attracting, nurturing, and retaining those people who can promote the green initiatives of the organization.

OBJECTIVE

This paper aims to investigate the impact of GTM, transformational leadership, and employee engagement on the sustainable environmental performance of organizations.

METHODS

The data were collected from both academic and administrative employees in five Omani higher education institutions (HEIs). In total 367 questionnaires were collected using drop-off and pickup methods.

RESULTS

The results of the study showed that green hard and green soft talent management (TM) and employee engagement with green initiatives are significant predictors of the sustainable environmental performance of HEIs. Moreover, transformational leadership can moderate the influence of green soft TM on employee engagement with green initiatives by strengthening the relationship.

CONCLUSIONS

For sustainable performance and development, organizations especially HEIs need to actively assume their social responsibilities and implement sustainable environmental management. The present study provides meaningful implications for practitioners, educational policymakers, and leaders to promote GTM and employee engagement for sustainable environmental performance. Supporting green skill development, engaging employees with green initiatives, and promoting staff with green skills can help organizations particularly HEIs to increase their sustainable environmental performance and gain a competitive advantage.

The effect of accreditation on higher education performance through quality culture mediation: the perceptions of administrative and quality managers

Purpose

This study aims to examine the effect of accreditation on higher education performance, directly and indirectly, through the quality culture as a mediator in the context of higher education, based on the perceptions of administrative and quality managers.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a quantitative study using stratified random sampling techniques to collect data through a nationwide survey of universities in Pakistan. Of the 150 questionnaires distributed, 105 are found to be valid, while the data are analyzed by partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

Findings

The results provide interesting insights, including significant effects of accreditation on quality culture and higher education performance, significant effects of quality culture on higher education performance and the mediating role of quality culture in relation to accreditation and higher education performance.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations of the study include a relatively smaller sample size and the selection of administrative managers as the sole respondents. This study extends the theoretical understanding by introducing several linkages, including the link between accreditation and higher education performance, accreditation and quality culture, and by introducing quality culture as a mediator. Furthermore, the study also provides empirical evidence for all proposed links in the university setting. This study has implications for administrative and quality managers, in terms of effectively implementing accreditation standards by cultivating a quality culture at their respective universities, resulting in improved university performance.

Originality/value

This study is the first to introduce quality culture as a mediator between accreditation and higher education performance and examines the effect of accreditation and quality culture on higher education performance in the university context. Also, the interdisciplinary nature of the study makes it relevant and interesting to administrative and quality managers in the fields of higher education and quality management.

Knowledge management initiatives for achieving sustainable development goal 4.7: higher education institutions’ stakeholder perspectives

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore knowledge management (KM) initiatives for achieving sustainable development goal (SDG) 4.7 and to investigate enablers and barriers to insert KM to prepare higher education institutions (HEIs) ready to contribute to SDGs’ performance. At the end, this paper provides a practical perspective of KM initiatives for higher education for sustainable development (HESD).

Design/methodology/approach

This is an exploratory study. It applies a descriptive-interpretative-qualitative approach. The analysis is based on the opinions collected from 170 HEIs’ stakeholders. Discussions among participants have been organized through zoom meetings, telephone interviews and focus group discussions in three phases. In the first phase, a total of 113 informants took part in the discussion on various dates. In the second phase, 10 interviews were conducted with university officials using three open-ended questions; and in the third phase, three focus group discussions were organized to interact about the effectiveness of the Masters in Business Administration in Global Leadership and Management programme and curriculum with teachers, students and the programme initiators.

Findings

From the analysis of stakeholders’ views, it appears that Nepalese HEIs have yet to move forward with integrating KM activities into their aims, structure and functions to address the government’s policy guidelines applicable to maximizing SDG’ performance. A KM cultural framework that values intellectual capital is urgently needed to fill the knowledge-doing gap for the benefit of society. HEIs appear to require multidisciplinary teaching, learning and research methods to play a civic role in society. They have to improve their rules and regulation, develop a boundary-spanning structure from a conventional structure and apply KM initiatives to support achieving SDGs’ performance. Understanding and inculcating these initiatives in the academic programmes could provide a value-adding higher education in the country.

Research limitations/implications

This paper is entirely based on the perspectives of stakeholders in higher education. So, understanding their points of view and perspectives may have resulted in vague explanations. Furthermore, because the setting of Nepal’s HEIs differs from that of developed countries, the results should only be interpreted in Nepalese contexts.

Practical implications

This paper acknowledges the gaps and complexities in Nepalese HEIs from the standpoints of HEIs’ leaders, teachers and students for the application of KM initiatives to reform HEIs, with HESD in consideration, and enhance SDGs’ performance.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the paper is the first of its kind in the context of Nepal, exploring KM initiatives for SDGs. It provides a new perspective on KM and comprehends KM initiatives in the case of Nepalese HEIs transformation into HESD for achieving SDG 4.7.

The Effect of the Knowledge Management Processes Capability on Innovation Activities in the Mexican Industry

Mexican industrial organizations focus their efforts on the development of new products and processes, including breakthrough technology. Few studies have focused on the analysis of this corporate effort. After an in-depth theoretical review, it has been detected that most of the research has been based on the study of knowledge management along its dimensions, and there has been no research that incorporates the capabilities of the knowledge management process and its effect on two activities that generate innovation. With the application of a Likert scale-type instrument to 279 industrial companies in Mexico, it was detected that there is a relationship and influence between the dimensions of knowledge acquisition (KAC), knowledge updating (KUP), knowledge protection (KP), knowledge conversion (KC) and knowledge application (KAP) in innovation-generating activities, such as research and development (R&D) and technology acquisition (TA). This was analyzed by the partial least squares (PLS) structural equation technique. Finally, it is important to highlight the contribution that the results of the study have in possible future research that can be carried out, for example, the analysis of the protection of knowledge and its impact on the industry of other countries.

Leadership and Learning at Work: A Systematic Literature Review of Learning-oriented Leadership

Contemporary organizations must be adaptive and agile as the environment changes. To respond to change, leaders must find ways of integrating learning into everyday work experiences. This invites the question: how do leaders facilitate individual, group and organizational learning? Several studies have examined relationships among leadership and learning and potential mediating and moderating variables. However, because this literature is extensive and fragmented it is difficult to discern what is known about how leadership contributes to individual, group and organizational learning. Accordingly, there is a pressing need to assemble and evaluate the existing studies. To address this limitation of the literature, this paper presents a systematic review and critique of literature in this field. Our review of 105 studies suggests that there are statistically significant relationships between different types of leadership and learning at the individual, group, and organizational levels. Furthermore, the findings indicate that these relationships are often mediated by other variables. However, little is known about moderators and boundary conditions. Based on the findings, it would be premature to say with certainty that leadership causally influences learning, since the empirical basis for such a claim is lacking. We outline the conceptual, theoretical, methodological, and empirical refinements needed to guide future research on learning-oriented leadership and advance this research trajectory. The findings of our review and our conclusions will be informative for researchers and practitioners.

Faculty readiness for online crisis teaching: The role of responsible leadership and teaching satisfaction in academia

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the role of responsible leadership in faculty readiness for online crisis teaching (FROCT) in higher education institutions (HEIs). Additionally, the paper investigates the mediating effect of teaching satisfaction on the relationship between responsible leadership and FROCT.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was conducted to collect responses from 437 faculty members from Bangladeshi HEIs. A partial least square structural equation model was employed to examine the research hypotheses.

Findings

Responsible leadership has no direct relationship with FROCT; however, responsible leadership increases teaching satisfaction. Teaching satisfaction acts as a significant mediator between responsible leadership and FROCT. A symbiotic relationship between responsible leadership and teaching satisfaction is essential for improving FROCT. The findings of this study, in general, emphasise the importance of teaching satisfaction in facilitating the implementation of the responsible leadership model in HEIs.

Originality/value

Despite numerous studies on faculty online teaching, extant literature lacks empirical evidence on the relationship between responsible leadership, teaching satisfaction, and FROCT in HEI settings. This study provides evidence for implementing the responsible leadership model in developing countries' HEIs.

Systematic review of institutional innovation literature: towards a multi-level management model

Institutional innovation creates smart institutions that idiosyncratically thrive in a world of exponential change. Through policy-driven interventions and experiential learning, managers of institutions become adept at delivering praxis- and crisis-driven innovations required for survival and success. Similarly, the management of institutional innovation remains an interest in research due to links of this form of innovation to economic growth, and the demands of on-going major socioeconomic transformations due to technological advances, increased occurrences of major crises, and emerging socioeconomic challenges. Accordingly, a key question arising from the literature concerns the range of determinants and priorities that influence institutional innovation for delivering society value. Thus, the onus is on scholarship to capture and advance knowledge for harnessing the potency of institutional innovation. The purpose of this article is to analyse the current state of research on institutional innovation. Using the systematic review methodology, we identify and critically appraise 485 peer-reviewed scientific publications between 1969 and 2021. The review finds key determinants and management priorities with a view to developing a multi-level management model of institutional innovation. Guided by insights from the review, the article sets a research agenda for future management studies of institutional innovation.

Linking Entrepreneurial Orientation with Innovation Performance in SMEs; the Role of Organizational Commitment and Transformational Leadership Using Smart PLS-SEM

Entrepreneurial orientation has become an enormously significant construct in the innovation studies literature. Predominantly for SMEs, its role has been widely recognized in almost all regional contexts across the globe. The present study is aimed at investigating the effects of entrepreneurial orientation, transformational leadership and organizational commitment on innovation performance. The data for the present study were collected from 1095 employees working at various levels in SMEs. The present study used partial least square structural equation modeling to examine the constructed hypotheses. The findings suggested the significantly positive direct relationships among entrepreneurial orientations, organizational commitment and innovation performance. Besides, organizational commitment positively mediated the relationships between entrepreneurial orientation and innovation performance. Additionally, this study also found the significant moderation of transformational leadership among entrepreneurship orientation and organizational commitment. Leaders of small and medium-sized enterprises should practice entrepreneurial orientation (innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk-taking) and transformation leadership (articulating a compelling vision, focus on goal achievement, and creative problem solving) to enhance the innovation performance of their firms. Moreover, this study provides a robust mechanism for leaders at SMEs to develop strategies for enhancing the willingness of the firms to bring innovation and offer new products and services. The policymakers should enhance the emotional attachment of employees with their firms, sense of moral obligation to remain with the firm which will, in turn, increase the organizational commitment of employees for innovation performance. The study provides empirical evidence to the resource-based view in the context of SMEs. The study delivers solid theoretical and practical implications to experts, leaders and policymakers.

Structural Model to Determine the Factors That Affect the Quality of Emergency Teaching, According to the Perception of the Student of the First University Courses

A quantitative study was conducted in order to know, from the perspective of university students, the relationship between the quality perceived (QP) during the period of confinement derived from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with the variables teaching plan (PL), material resources (MR), interaction processes (IN), and the affective–emotional component (EM). An online questionnaire was designed, directed to students from 20 universities in Spain, with a total participation of 893 individuals. The results indicate that the perception of the students on the quality of online teaching is directly associated with the material resources provided by the professors and the professor–student interactions. However, this perception does not have any direct effect on the planning or the emotional state or affectation created by the unprecedented situation of confinement. Among the conclusions, we highlight the need for the universities to apply models of support and tutoring, especially for students in their first years at university, to develop competences such as autonomy, digital competence, and self-regulation, and the need for a change of approach of the students and the professors based on the new normality we are currently experiencing.